The Fall, and the Rise
by YinYangSisters
Summary: Two years after Avatar Aang's death at the Final Battle, Katara knows the world cannot wait for the new, infant Avatar Krahyus to resolve the ongoing war and stop Ozai from exterminating the Water Tribes as he did the Air Nomads in search of her; and the first step to infiltrating the Fire Nation Palace? Become a captured slave to Prince Zuko. ZUTARA Strong language in later stages
1. Prologue

So, this is a new Zutara fic I'm working on; very excited to share this all with you :) This is my version of the whole, 'Katara being Zuko's slave' thingy. It's so overdone and mundane, and so I wanted to come up with something original. Something a little cleverer, something that would give Katara a bit more empowerment. Hope you enjoy!

**PLEASE READ BEFORE** **STARTING!;**In this story:

Zuko **DID NOT** join Team Avatar (Aang's firebending master was Iroh),

Aang died in the Final Battle, and so **a new Water Tribe Avatar** has been born, (no, it's not Korra, 'cause her parents wouldn't have been born yet!)

The Fire Nation still rules the world, and **Fire Lord Ozai is still in power**,

Okay, now you may continue :)

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN AVATAR: THE LEGEND OF AANG

* * *

**_The Fall, and the Rise_**

_Segment from__ Ozai's Victory __Parchment (The Final Battle)_

_After the inevitable death of Avatar Aang at what he proclaimed, 'The Final Battle', his allies, including the White Lotus fled from the scene; it has been said that Katara, the former Avatar's waterbending master, has evacuated both of the Water Tribes to a new, unknown location, in an attempt to protect the new born Avatar. Though she is not the Avatar, she is of equal threat; rumors tell that she leads a rebellion against the Fire Nation, despite the first two failed attempts by Avatar Aang. _

_The Mighty Fire Lord Ozai continues to search to exterminate both the Water Tribes like he did the Air Nomads; but Katara, with the help of the other deceased Avatar's allies, and the Order of the White Lotus, has managed to conceal both tribes, out of the The Mighty Fire Lord Ozai's grasp for over two years. Rumors of rebellion have died down, with time; yet, they are still present. The longer the Water Tribes hide, the stronger the still-infant new Avatar grows. _

_They are the primary threat to the Fire Nation, and must be found and exterminated immediately. _

* * *

The sun had barely set, yet the sky was filled with ambers and pinks and vibrant lilacs; not that she had time to care. She stood by the sea as it crashed hungrily onto the pebbled shore, facing the White Lotus members and her brother, who watched her firmly, yet worriedly. True, she wasn't fifteen and naive anymore; she was now seventeen, with Aang's screams still ringing through her ears even to this day.

Her eyes aren't softly blue, like they once were; they are sharp. Like ice.

"Remember, Miss Katara," Iroh said quietly, yet, a little firmly. "When they capture you, try to act convincingly; do not defend yourself too well, or even too poorly. The Fire Nation soldiers won't kill you on site, but once they realize who you are, they will definitely give you a fine beating."

She wants to say something, but she can't quite find the words right now; she has been planning this day for two years. She has been planning and preparing with Aang's laugh still so alive and cheerful in her memories, and this only makes her plan even more steadfastly. She can feel her long hair sway in the breeze on her back, even through her dark, navy tunic (which she had swapped for her baby blue one years ago).

_"I love your hair,"_ _Aang breathed in her memories, with that love struck gaze she didn't quite return. "It's beautiful, Katara. You're beautiful, you know that?" _

"I understand." Katara spoke eventually, stiffly.

"I want to say you're not ready for this," Jeong Jeong sighed, running a hand through his messy silver hair. "By Agni, I wish I could. A kid with such potential like you setting out to be captured by Fire Lord Ozai is the last thing I want to think about."

"But she's ready," Pakku said firmly, turning to her. "Give us your signal once you have infiltrated the palace. We'll stand ready for you, from then on; act as fast as you can. The faster the world is rid of Ozai, the safer it will be for the young Avatar Krahyus and the rest of the world."

_"I know that everyone says the world is bad, and I really shouldn't have a say in the matter; you know, being frozen for all of the important parts," Aang said in that uplifting voice of his. "But I don't think it's all bad. I think there's a bit of good in everyone, you know? And I don't think that can be killed by war and hatred."_

Katara simply nodded; she knew this all backwards, since she was the one who had planned it. She could feel her brother's silent eyes set on her intently, worriedly, a little unpleasantly. She wished she could go back to the days when she had time to care about something like that, but she couldn't. This wasn't a world filled with laughing and panda lillies and watching the stars at night anymore.

It was now a world splattered with Aang's blood and her hatred.

There was a pause; someone had to say it.

"I hope you know how difficult this will be, Katara," Piandao said eventually in low, yet slightly affectionate voice. "The Fire Lord is not an easy man take out; not even Avatar Aang could do it."

She felt a little angry; she always did, at the mention of his name.

"I know that." Katara muttered with gritted teeth.

The elder masters wanted to protest and debate more with her, but they knew it would be futile; they found themselves watching her, as she turned to stare out at the ocean she was about to cross. They all felt somewhat responsible, even though they weren't related to her in any way; but in essence, someone had to do this; somebody had to take this fall.

But no one said it had to be the Avatar.

_"You can't kill goodness; not ever. I just wish they could see that," Aang said; he laughs, Momo climbing up his small shoulders. He's smiling as he strokes the lemur affectionately; his eyes looking at her in a way that she can't forget. "I wish that Fire Lord Ozai could see that." _

"Guard Avatar Krahyus with your life," Katara said over her shoulder. "She's the only thing left worth fighting for now; and for Ozai, it's only a matter of time before her and the Water Tribes are exterminated along with the Air Nomads."

But they couldn't wait that long, and they all knew it.

But waiting for Avatar Krahyus to come of age was a much bigger risk than what Katara was about to do, now.

None of them say anything; because, what can they say. Sokka grows frustrated, even a little disheartened as he watches his little sister; he tried to remember a time before she was forced to be like this. A time before the world had taken the most precious people to her. A time when he could hear her laugh on a regular basis, a time when not loving the Avatar in the same way he loved her was her biggest problem.

She stepped closer to the waves; they become still, instantly.

If you squint, tilt your head a little, and forget about the dying and the screaming and the blood and the hatred, you could probably see the beauty of it all. You could probably relish in the sound of the sea birds chirping, of the waves crashing together. However, Katara cannot; but mind you, she used to. She used to love little scenes like this, she used to love the smell of salty, ocean air. She used to love it all, years ago.

Sokka steped foreward abruptly.

"Katara," he said firmly. He pauses, frowning as he stares at his sister. "You're not the Avatar. You don't have to do this."

A strand of her curly hair is blown over her shoulder; her eyes are dead set and she is ready. And not even her brother can change this, as much as he wants to. She stands stiffly, rigidly, the oceans silenced as far as the eye could see; it was a strange sight, to see something so vast so still, but they had all become accustomed to water reacting to her in this way ever since she started training after the final battle.

She turns her head slowly, softly to her brother, and she is no longer the same Katara.

Her eyes are soft him, her brother, but for his sake only.

_"And I hope I can take care of them; I hope I can protect the people of this world, Katara," Aang spoke, a little quieter, a little too honestly. His grey eyes focused on her, so earnest, so youthful, so eager yet so unsteady. "Do you think I can do it?"_

"Then who will, Sokka?"

She waits for an answer; they both do. They all do.

But when nothing said, she flicked her wrists and sped far off into the still ocean, and towards the Fire Nation.

They watch her as she disappears into the horizon, speeding across the water at an unnaturally fast rate, even for a master waterbender; as she leaves, the ocean she left behind became alive and noisy and reckless again, crashing against the shore once more. Sokka watched his sister disappear, his frown still aparrent, as he tried to figure out when it was exactly that he had failed as an older brother in protecting her.

He felt Iroh's hand on his shoulder; neither of their eyes leaving Katara's distant form.

"For the Fire Nation to rise, it first must fall." Iroh spoke.

_Katara smiles broadly. "I know you can." _

* * *

Don't worry, none of the other chapters will be so ridiculously short; I'm actually being quite naughty, since I know I should finish my other fic (Blue Titanium) before starting this one...but I just couldn't help myself! This is only a prologue, however; keep in mind that the next update will take a while. But once they start, they'll be more frequent, I promise!

FYI, this is my whole take on the overused plot of, **'Katara being Zuko's slave'** and yappity yap.

It's just so overdone and mundane, and so I wanted to spice it up a little. I wanted to give Katara some empowerment, since she is by far the most underrated character in the entire series (including LOK) in my opinion, and in usual Zutara slave stories, she's always gets the short end of the stick and is just the defenselessness little girl.

But no more, I say, no more! :D

Hope you liked this prologue, let me know if you're at least curious!

- Yin


	2. Chapter 1

Oh my...I should really really really try to finish my other Zutara fic first, but...:\

Lots of questions arose in response to the Prologue; don't worry, they'll all be answered in the following chapters :) So glad I'm getting some feedback; however, not gonna lie, I am a little nervous...I have a lot of Zutara slave stories to compete with, don't I? Oh well, whatever happens, happens! :D

**But seriously you guys; read the author's note in the Prologue. Otherwise you won't understand what the hell's going on.**

Hope you enjoy this!

- Yin

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN AVATAR: THE LEGEND OF AANG

* * *

**Chapter 1 **

He eats his melon at the breakfast table quietly; silently, actually. It's not that he's upset or worried or just a quiet person (definitely not the latter), he's just indifferent. However, he's not sure what he's indifferent towards as of yet; yes, he's been given over two years to ponder over this, but even at nineteen years old, this doesn't mean he has reached a conclusion. He bites the melon off of his fork a little too slowly, a little lazily.

Mai eyes him beside him. "Are you alright?"

Zuko didn't hesitate; he answered upon reflex, not actually listening to her question. "Of course."

She drops the matter rather quickly; mostly because of the flatness of his voice and because she was growing rather tired of this. It had been over two years, after all; and Mai was known for getting bored; yet she still held his hand above the table just as half heartedly as Zuko held hers. They continued to eat their melon as they listened to Azula laugh at one of Fire Lord Ozai's jokes, the elders not failing to join in also.

Zuko smiled, fake laughing.

But if he is totally honest, he doesn't actually find the joke that funny.

Zuko doesn't know what it is; even at nineteen. But he knows it has something to do with the clothes wears; the extravagant royal robes that only a Prince could afford. He knew it had something to do with this rich, beautifully tasting food he was eating; the waitresses place a plate of freshly made egg-custard tarts on the table in front of him. They smell delicious, but he doesn't want any.

Ozai looks over at his son.

"You used to love those as a child, my boy," he called out. He sat upright in his chair, proudly; and why wouldn't he be? He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table as he eyed his son carefully, his smile not quite a smile, but a smirk. "Won't you have any?"

Zuko looked up; he paused at the silence.

This could go one of either two ways; he rejects his father's offers. He says no, properly, for the second time in his life, resulting in an Agni Kai the way it did all those years ago. He could cause an uprising, a heated battle; his father in the centre, Azula on the left, her Dai Li agents on the right. He could die for everything he stood for, just like Avatar Aang. He could die being _Zuko_; not this shell of a royal young man.

But who was he kidding?

"Of course, father," he says in his low voice, attempting to smile back as he reaches out a takes a tart. He cuts it up with his knife and fork quickly (because Agni forbid he used his hands at the table) since he didn't want to make 'The Mighty Fire Lord' wait. He placed a small piece into his mouth; it was as sickly sweet as his smile. "It's delicious, father."

Ozai's grin broadens; golden eyes fixating on his son for one more moment, before returning back to the conversation. Zuko felt a chill run through him in a way that was horribly familiar; he scratched his hair, messing up his elegant bun a little. He turned back down to his plate, staring at the pieces of melon and the quarter eaten tart that lay there so damn innocently.

He played with his food in an un-royal kind of way; Mai watched him all the while, and she didn't quite know what it was, either. Her eyes fell over his strong jaw, freshly shaved; at his perfectly pale skin, his piercing eyes, the scar on his face that was deduced to nothing more than a perminent mark of who had won. He had everything; the money, the clothes, a girlfriend, and if he wanted, a dozen disposable mistresses at his will.

He lives in the nation that controls the entire world. His father killed the Avatar, the world's last chance. Sure, he may not have spoken to his Uncle, his beloved Uncle in years, but what did that matter? He was here; with everything he could ever want and tenfold. He has his health, his entire life ahead of him; the girl he has supposedly always loved here, on his arm constantly.

So why the indifference? Why the lack of shine that once existed in his amber eyes?

_It's just an egg-custard tart, _Zuko told himself as he forcefully feeds himself. _It's just an egg-custard tart. _

But, actually, it was much more than that.

"A meeting will occur in the Grand Hall at around noon today," Ozai announced loudly. "Everyone must attend."

His eyes skittered over to his son; he was of a stocky build; for he should be, at nineteen years old. He glanced at his girlfriend sitting beside him, watching him out of the corner of her eye. Zuko ate the tart slowly, before the rest of his meal; he had his mother's features, which could not be denied. Ozai could feel Azula looking at her brother down the table, also; she wasn't glaring, smiling or even gazing. She simply looked, for no more than a few seconds.

"And you especially, my son," Ozai said rather proudly. "Believe me when I say you do not want to miss this."

Zuko looked up, clearly confused; his father just smirked.

"Y-Yes father." Zuko stuttered, almost forgetting to answer.

The Fire Lord then resumed eating, and everyone else followed suit. After Zuko finished his tart, he didn't eat much else, since it left too sweet a taste in his mouth; for, this was the very reason he had avoided eating it in the first place. He sipped some coffee slowly. His mouth always expected tea, after travelling with his Uncle for so long, but he drank the coffee anyway.

Zuko would never admit it, not even to himself; but he longed for the bitter, (and what he found) tastelessness of Jasmine tea.

* * *

He sits on his bed, palm facing upwards; he ignites fire, a large ember that he cups in his hands, and then extinguishes it. He does it again and again, in a terribly mundane way. His bath water was far too hot for his liking, therefore, he has to sit here with his shirt off in order to cool down. It's stupid though, because it'll take longer for his body temperature to cool if he keeps playing with fire like this.

But he is the Prince of the Fire Nation; he had all the time in the world. He could do whatever he pleased, whenever he pleased. What did it matter if he were a minutes late? Because of this, Zuko continued to play with the fire in his palm that he extinguished at will; making it dance between his hands, even. It was his pathetically tiny act of rebellion. It was his sweet release, a break, a temporary escape from...

From what?

Zuko sighed harshly, a few flames erupting from his nose. He rested his elbows in his knees and leaned over, closing his eyes as his long, matted hair fell over his forehead; a couple of years ago, if his Uncle had seen him in this position, he would've cracked a joke, maybe offered some tea, or recite one of his pointless riddles. He would danced around him, singing a song, or pulled out his Sungi horn and force Zuko to get angry at the sound of that, rather than at what he was originally angry at in the first place.

But right now, there was nobody. And who's fault was that?

Zuko groaned at frustration, falling back onto his huge bed.

A knock sounded at the door; it was shrill and annoying, done purposely just for him. Zuko rolled his eyes; he stood up, making his way to the door as he scratched his messy, ebony hair lazily. He opened the door, and Azula leaned against the frame, folding her arms; she had their father's smirk, though, on her, it was more irritating than it was frightening.

She scowled at him. "Put a shirt on, Zuzu; no one but Mai wants to see all that!"

"This is _my_ room," Zuko snapped. "I can do whatever the hell I want."

Azula's eyes changed. "Oh, can you now?"

And suddenly, it wasn't about his shirt, or his lack of wearing one. They held each other's gaze, and it became much more intense that what Zuko would have expected; nevertheless, he didn't falter. Little sister or not, in this, at least, Azula would not get the better of him. He stood firm, but it made him wonder what the point was; what was the prize? The ability to go without blinking longer than his sister?

She sighed, examining her nails. "Anyways, the meeting starts in about a half hour," she said lazily, her eyes flickering to him. "Wouldn't want you to be late and piss off father."

Zuko clenched his jaw, and spoke through gritted teeth. "Agni forbid that."

She smirked. "Because we _all _know what happens when you piss off the Fire Lord," she jeered. Her eyes glancing at his scar long enough for Zuko to register and grow frustrated at. "It'll be like when you were fourteen all over again-"

"I get it, Azula!" Zuko barked at her.

She shrugged. "Just warning you, Zuzu."

She eyed him one last time, in a way Azula had always been doing since birth; it never failed to unsettle him. She turned slowly, before sauntering off, down the hallway. Zuko paused before closing the door; he leaned back against it, looking around his room. The plants in the corner looked far too out of place, and there was too much red covering the walls and his bed for his liking. It reminded him of blood.

He thought of the blood shed for the Fire Nation's rule, for his father's rule; the most significant and prominent being Avatar Aang's blood. Sure, he was the enemy; more so to Zuko than anyone else in the world. He was the one thing that stood in the way, that almost stopped this all; he was the one thing that people kept fighting for, the one thing that was worth it all.

Zuko looked down ruefully.

But he was a kind hearted, thirteen year old boy; and no amount of hate could change that.

* * *

Zuko sat uncomfortably in his chair, beside his father; though, it wasn't just any chair. It was more like a thrown, of sorts; it wasn't as extravagant as his father's, but it was there, all the same, and that was more than enough, wasn't it? Well, it was more than what his past, fourteen year old self could've ever dreamed of; back then, their relationship was a irreparable. This thrown was a gift, in itself.

Wasn't it?

Zuko shuffled uncomfortably, the elders standing at the sides of the huge hall, leaving a massive space from the huge doors to the centre of the room. Zuko sat at his father's left, whilst Azula sat on his right. He admitted, she sat at her thrown with much more confidence and power than he did, as of now; but to be quite blunt, Zuko hardly cared. Actually, he didn't care about that much anymore, if he really thought about it (but Agni forbid that).

He ran a hand through his hair, messing up his bun yet again; he knew this would probably irritate the royal stylists, but thankfully, they fell under the list of things he didn't care for. He let out a sigh, though concealed most of it from his father, even though he was a good ten paces away. He sat up, and tried at least to _act_ like he was comfortable in the midst of all of this.

Fire Lord Ozai then stood; the entire room fell dead silent.

"As you all know, a threat loomed over the Fire Nation Empire not long ago," he spoke, his voice echoing off of the walls. "That threat was Avatar Aang; the last airbender that managed to hide himself away like the coward he is for 100 years."

Zuko inhaled sharply, his stomach stirring for some stupid reason.

"But the Avatar is now dead," Ozai spat with a smirk. "He was a pathetic child, and was no match for the Fire Nation. Or me."

The elders jeered at this, and loudly so, and even Mai clapped at the side; Zuko could practically feel Azula as she cackled, clapping proudly at her father. Zuko cleared his throat, pressing his hands together in a very muted clap. However, he couldn't help but let his gaze fall downwards; he remembered the Avatar. He was the boy who was unfrozen from a block of ice in the Southern Water Tribe, and was twelve years old at the time.

On this new earth for a measly one year; yet, he saved more than what Ozai was aware of.

"And now, a new threat looms over us once more," Ozai belted, the jeers weakening to a silence again. "However, it is not the new Avatar, who is only 2 years old; it is the former Avatar's waterbending master, Katara of the Southern Water Tribe."

Zuko took in the scowling faces of the elders.

"She, as well as the deceased Avatar's friends and the White Lotus, has managed to evacuate both Water Tribes to an unknown location, in hopes to save them from extermination that the Air Nomads endured, as well as saving the new Avatar." Ozai bellowed.

Zuko frowned. Something wasn't right here.

"But like all attempts at rebellion against the Fire Nation, she shall fail," Ozai practically yelled. "And at the end of the day, she nothing more than a seventeen year old, Water Tribe peasant girl; destined to fall just like Avatar Aang."

Murmurs filled the room with agreement; Ozai's smirk grew wider. "Bring her in!"

Zuko's heart stopped.

The huge, extravagant door burst open; a huge slab of earth forced through the room at a lightening speed, stopping directly in the centre. The Dai Li agents followed swiftly behind easily, and gasps could be heard through out the entire room. They all watched the navy blue figure, kneeling, hunched over on the slab of rock. Her long, dark, curly hair covered her face, and he hands were shackled painfully behind her back, and her feet, to which the Dai Li agents attatched chains of metal to, holding her securely in place.

"Face your Fire Lord!" one of the Dai Li barked at her. The said Dai Li jumped onto the huge slab of earth easily; grabbing a fistful of dark hair at her scalp, snagging her head backwards so painfully hard that Zuko winced.

Her icy blue eyes cut through everything, through everyone; she was not the soft little fifteen year old Zuko remembered. Everything about her sharpened; her entire body was scattered with unearthly bruises, a few cuts here and there also. The bruises coarsed over her entire body, even on her face; they were a horribly dark purple colour that were painful just to look at in itself; the parts of her gleaming mocha skin that wasn't covered in said bruises were either cut, blood running from them in small amounts, or left red, having been freshly beaten.

She panted loudly, heavily; from exhaustion, pain, hunger, fatigue and just pure agony. Her long, curly dark hair fell over her shoulders and back in a gracious manner, despite the circumstances and not being in its usual Water Tribe style braid or updo; blood trailed from her lip, running down the side of her mouth in a bright red stream, droplets hitting the floor as the Dai Li agent tugged harder on her hair.

Zuko watched, horrified; though, on the outside he didn't look as shocked. She wasn't in her normal Water Tribe clothing, the clothing he remembered; she wore a revealing navy half top, that exposed her tanned, toned, bruised stomach; this left her shoulders and arms free, also, exposing the evidence of her multiple beatings. She wore a long, matching navy skirt of sorts that touched the floor, with slits on the sides like her old tunic; except, now, the slits went all the way up to the near top of her thigh, exposing the bruises scattered on her gleaming, chocolate skin, also.

She also wore various ankle and arm bracelets that clearly weren't hers; it was obvious that all the men in the room eyed her. She was different to the Fire Nation girls Zuko was so used to seeing; she had prominant, deep-set curves that couldn't be ignored, as opposed to the other stick thin Fire Nation girls, like Mai. She was undeniably beautiful, whether she was your enemy or not. However, the entire room was silent even despite this; the only sound heard being Katara's pants and weak struggles.

"The Majestic, Powerful Master Katara," Ozai mocked, looking down at her with a sneer on the platform. "I must say, I'm a little unimpressed; I expected more from you, since everyone speaks so highly of you."

Katara struggled weakly, the Dai Li agent smirking as he pulled her hair viciously. She cried out, since this time, it really was merciless; Zuko could see the perspiration running from her jaw down from her neck as he head was pulled up to practically face the ceiling. She panted viciously, but even that was a miracle in itself; she grunted at the pain, at her weakness, shuffling as much as she could.

The elders watched in complete and utter silence.

"But you are nothing more than a failure; just like your former Avatar," Ozai hissed viciously. He leaned closer. "You're both as weak as each other; and you are no match for the Fire Nation; and you are certainly no match for _me_."

Zuko watched, completely shell shocked; he wasn't completely understanding. He wasn't completely there, at that moment, because his brain failed to even register a thing. He blinked, golden eyes unable to hide its shock the longer they lingered on her practically completely bare body; with each second he looked, he found a new bruise, a new wound, a new drop of blood that splattered onto the huge slab of earth every now and again.

Katara bared her teeth angrily, spitting out bloodily, even though Ozai stood on a platform at least fifteen paces away from her.

"You dare spit at your Fire Lord?" the Dai Li agent barked at her.

He stepped in front of her instantly, far too quickly, and Zuko guessed that some earthbending was involved there; but then, alarmingly, he punched Katara mercilessly, viciously, staggeringly powerfully over her cheek. He head went flying to the side, and since her hands and feet were tied as she kneeled, she had nothing to stop her from smacking the hard earth painfully whilst groaning in agony, somehow still conscious.

"That'll teach you, _peasant_," the Dai Li hissed. "I don't see the point in going easy on you and treating you like a Lady; you gave up that right once you decided to help that pathetic excuse for an Avatar."

Katara panted loudly, fighting to stay awake, groaning as she tried to lift her body to an upright position without the help of her arms or legs. She failed miserably, her cheek throbbing; that bruise would surely be a bad one, she knew. She could feel the metal shackles cut into the delicate skin of her wrists, as well as on her ankles; yet, she could do nothing but groan and try to sit up again, since she was beyond weak right now.

"Don't worry, my Lord; she won't be going anywhere for a while," the Dai Li agent assured respectfully. "We've been blocking her chi continuously for days now. Agni knows how long it will take to get her waterbending back."

Azula spoke; her eyes never leaving her nails as she inspected them. "I thought Ty Lee was on the other side of the Fire Nation at some circus show?"

"She is, my Princess," another Dai Li agent spoke up. "But she trained a few of us in the art of blocking chi paths before leaving; we call them Chi Blockers."

"And thank Agni for that, my Lord!" another agent called out. "It was murder trying to get her into this little outfit; Spirits knows what it would be like if she had had her bending at the time."

Katara hissed, the full pain of the punch she received settling properly onto her face; it ached in a way she had never felt before, and she could feel more blood in her mouth from where the inside of her cheek scratched viciously against her teeth. She groaned, stumbling in trying to lift her body upwards, if only a little; her pants grew weaker, but were still ever apparent. She could feel the sweat run down her stomach, the blood running down the horrific scratches on her calf.

Ozai grinned; evilly, but proudly. "You have done well; my daughter was right for bringing a few of you here, back to the Fire Nation with us," he praised in his booming voice. "Your work is done, for now."

The Dai Li agents all nodded in unison, bowing briefly; the agent behind Katara, who was still laying on the floor in agony, bent down to her. He grabbed her upper arm, holding it firmly enough to push down and irritate the bruises that were already scattered on it. Katara's curly, long hair covered half of her face as her head lolled back a little from fatigue, but the agent still didn't have any sympathy for her.

Who would?

He tossed her viciously off of the slab of earth and onto the marble floor, in Zuko's direction; they all listened to the thud of Katara's body smacking the cool, hard ground painfully, and then proceeded to listen to her hiss and groan at the abrupt pain. Zuko looked down at her from his thrown, at the heap of her exposed body lying there on the floor a fair distance away from him. He blinked rapidly, fighting to hide his scowl.

Ozai smirked over at his son. "She's yours, my boy!" he called out with a huge grin. "Pray to Agni she keeps your bed sufficiently warm at night!"

Zuko gaped, his entire body stiffening; he watched Katara, hands and feet still in shackles as she lied on the floor. She coughed agonizingly, since she was starting to choke on the blood that was filling her mouth rapidly. Her gleaming, brown legs squirmed weakly against the cold, marble floor, blood smearing against it a little from her cuts and scratches. Her ankle bracelets clanging together in the silence, mixing with her groans.

"Why not just execute her, father?" Zuko asked (more like pleaded, since that seemed much more desirable than the current situation).

Ozai laughed; in the sickening way he always had. "In time, my son, in time!" he assured; he glanced over at Katara's weak, bare form. "But first, she must be humiliated. The powerful, Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe; reduced to nothing more than the Fire Nation Prince's whore!"

Zuko stared down at her, on the floor, wondering how this girl was even conscious; she struggled to even roll over, her long skirt revealing her tanned legs with every move she made in trying to just sit up. Her was long and curly in such a marvelous way; so unlike Fire Nation girls' hair, which was straight and flat and lifeless like Mai's. Her hair sprayed out across the floor rather artistically, moving ever so slightly as she tried to roll over, and gain any kind of balance.

Zuko could hear his heart beat in his ears; he swallowed the huge lump in his throat with great effort.

"P-Put her in my room," he ordered loudly, with a hint of uncertainty that thankfully, no one picked up on. "No one must disturb me after dinner tonight."

The crowd jeered loudly, Ozai laughed proudly, and even his sister offered Zuko a somewhat satisfied grin; but, like most things, all of this fell under the list of things that Zuko didn't care much for. Katara was put out of her misery, in some sense, as two Dai Li agents grabbed each of her upper arms; they pulled her body upright, her hair sticking to her face from perspiration, before dragging her away and out of the hall.

However, Zuko did not fail to register her icy, blue eyed glare.

* * *

"Do at least one thing right and satisfy our Prince tonight, peasant!" the Dai Li agent barked as he opened Zuko's bedroom door.

He threw Katara in viciously, and her body hit the carpeted floor with a loud thud; she groaned loudly at the painful impact, but before she even had time to roll over, the door had slammed loudly. She let herself fall into the soft, thick carpet; it was a much nicer floor than the prison cell she had to sleep in the last few days. The soft, clean fabric brushed against her bruised, cut and aching skin; and even this was painful to experience, to an extent.

She hissed and groaned, but eventually, she sat upright with much difficulty; with her teeth, which were a little bloodstained, she bit onto the straps of her top and pulled it up, before repeating the same step on the other shoulder. It revealed too much of her neckline than what she was comfortable with, and she didn't even bother with her slit, long skirt, since there was no way it would ever cover her legs properly, no matter how much she tugged.

She inspected the state of her body and its injuries carefully; she had only rarely ever seen a bruise this bad, and even more so to see such severe bruises coursing through her entire body. She finally started to understand why the Dai Li agents refrained from actually cutting her skin these past few days; she supposed that the Prince's mistress wouldn't be covered with scrapes and cuts and blood, now would she?

She shook her head; she sure as hell wasn't expecting this. She knew she would captured, beaten; held prisoner, probably. And maybe, if her luck was truly bad enough, and Ozai hated her just as much as she hated him, she may become a slave of some sort to either him or his sickening children; but a whore? A mistress?

_Zuko's _mistress? No, she certainly didn't see that one coming.

This was seriously a problem, however; especially since she was in such a vulnerable state. She still didn't quite know what she was going to do; especially since this wasn't a stranger. It was _Zuko_, for Agni's sake; the same Zuko who betrayed her and his Uncle in the crystal catacombs of Ba Sing Se. The same Zuko who turned a blind eye, hidden in a secret location at the Final Battle, as Ozai killed Aang; the last thing that mattered.

Katara slid back against the floor; further and further until she was backed up against the wall. She inspected the ridiculously large room analytically for weapons; a massive bed lay in the middle of the room with maroon and white sheets, perfectly made and looking extremely comfortable to her tired body. Katara had to blink rapidly, since she could barely comprehend what was right around her from all of the beatings.

There lay a few extravagant mahogany wardrobes and chest of draws that were just as perfectly kept as the rest of the room; a mirror with a golden frame sat quite snugly on the wall, also. And apart from a few plants in the corner, that looked way too green against the red of it all, and this addictive burnt wood and musk scent, the rest of the room was pretty much bare and plain. A door lay on the side of the massive room, which Katara sussed out was an en suite; but inspecting it would require more energy that she had to spare.

Her head throbbed, her wounds aching; she leaned her head against the wall for support, not caring if she got blood on the carpet from her legs. She wanted to close her eyes and sleep, since, to be quite honest, this carpet was better than her sleeping mat at the base underneath Kioshi Island, where the entire Water Tribe population lived secretly.

But she couldn't sleep, not now; not until Ozai had paid for taking the people she loved away from her.

So, instead, she thought of her friends; Toph would probably we following Avatar Krahyus around day and night, knowing her. Even though she has barely started speaking, barely even started walking, she is able to move around pebbles thanks to Toph. Katara's brows furrow as she thinks of her blind friend; she can sometimes hear her crying at night, but no one has to ask why.

It involves a certain bald headed, energetic, lovable airbender; the very reason why they all cry at night.

Her father and Sokka are probably up worried sick about her, like they always are; she doesn't worry about them, since they have the White Lotus to comfort them, at least. All of the masters had helped her train, and only they understood how capable she was, or was not; she hoped they remembered to feed Appa and Momo, but if they did get hungry, she was also sure that Momo would steal some food off of Sokka's plate to feed them both.

The two animals missed Aang just as much as she did; she missed the feel of Momo's fur between her fingers as she stroked when he fell asleep on her lap. She missed the smell and growls of Appa every time she buried her face in his thick white coat to remember Aang a little bit clearer. She also missed Aang's laugh, his wise words, that smile he smiled that was just for her, and nobody else. That smile she found very difficult to return.

Katara leaned against the wall; she could hear his voice so clearly, still.

_"It's okay, you know," Aang assured with nervousness. "You take as much time as you need. I'm sorry for kissing you at the most stupidest times...but when I'm around you, I don't know what to do with myself, you know?" _

Her eyesight blurred, but not through the fatigue of beatings.

_"You're my greatest strength, but greatest weakness too, Katara," he mumbled with a blush. "And that's a pretty difficult position to be in! Besides...your lips are nice...so I don't think I mind being inappropriate, after all!" _

She hissed, blinking rapidly; this was ridiculous. Crying over memories was _not _her priority right now; what she had to think about was how she was going to alert the White Lotus in time, with everyone constantly watching her in the palace. Or, better yet, how the hell she was going to find a way out of being forced into bed every night-

But she missed his smile; his laugh. His sparkling grey eyes. She missed his small arms around her body in an effort to comfort her whenever he sensed something wasn't okay. She missed how he smelled, his tattoos she would always trace with her fingers. She missed his long, failed attempts at meditation, at how he ran after Momo haphazardly simply because he was a _thirteen year old kid-_

The door opened quickly, but closed just as quickly. Katara's eyes darted to Zuko, who had his back pressed against the door; he pressed his lips together, staring at her, but this only unsettled her and made her feel even more hostile. She scrambled wildly in her shackles, pressing herself closer to the wall, even he hadn't even moved yet.

He didn't look the same. He was taller, broader, his strong jaw lightly covered in thin stubble; his bun was in a mess, his robes a little disheveled. His golden eyes stared down at her, unblinking, unfaltering, and she hated it. She smelt him already, and finally understood why the room smelt the way it did; it was him, and his scent. Sure, it was quite nice, but that didn't change anything.

She tried to move further away, along the wall, but the shackles stopped her, since they broke her balance; this only made her panic even more, because she was actually starting to realize what was about to happen if she didn't _do _something-

He watched her scramble away from him, horrified. Her icy blue eyes were alive with panic as she tried her hardest to get away from him as fast as possible. She started to pant in fear the longer he stared at her, and this only made her shuffle around even more furiously. Zuko's eyes widened; realizing she was taking his staring in completely the wrong way.

"No! _No!_" he cried, shaking his head, stepping forward, but then decided against it, not wanting to scare her. "I won't hurt you! I won't do anything to you, I swear!"

She stoppesd dead, still breathing heavily, staring at him intently.

"I promise you," he assured her seriously, kneeling down to her eye level. "I give you my word."

She glared at him, blue daggers slicing through him. "As a Prince?"

His golden eyes enveloped her, even as he frowned. "As Iroh's nephew."

She stiffened, her eyes wide in almost disbelief. They stared at each other for a long while, amber clashing with azure in a intense battle that didn't really have a winner. Katara stayed exactly where she was, however, still quite apprehensive; she wasn't stupid. She knew how men were. She bit the strap of her shirt again, pulling up her half-top so that she wasn't revealing too much of her neckline.

"Don't worry about that," Zuko assured, his voice deeper and gentler than what she remembered. "I'll get you some proper clothes."

He moved closer to her, and she growled a little; she started to scurry again, but before she could, Zuko took hold of her upper ankle gently in his warm hands. Katara panicked, ready to start flailing, but then stopped dead in her tracks; Zuko snapped his fingers, a fierce, concentrated orange flame floating between his middle and index finger. He held it against the shackles on her ankles, burning it clean off of her before the metal even had time to conduct onto her skin.

Katara watched, wide eyed and confused as he repeated the same process on her other ankle gently. This has to be some kind of trick; a joke, a ploy, a trap of some sort that wasn't completely obvious right now. She didn't try to scramble again, since she would probably get burned 'accidently' if she did so. Her tired mind tried to break things down, tried to suss out his motives, tried to provide her with some kind of plausible explanation for his behaviour.

What the hell was _wrong_ with this guy?

"Here, let me free your hands, too," Zuko ushered in a rather soft voice.

She contemplated it, but decided that in order for things to go even a _little_ according to her plan, she would need her hands to do so. She turned slowly, at a glacial pace, her eyes never leaving him until she had completely turned until her back faced him. Zuko held her wrist gently, and then gasped quietly at her back; deep purple bruises cover her entire back, a few scratches here and there also that bleed a little too much.

He glances back at his wall; blood is smeared over them like a death scene, and this only unsettles him further. He tries not to think about how badly the Dai Li beat her as he melts the shackles off of her wrists, revealing the gaping, raw skin underneath that makes him wince.

She turns to face him almost immediately, since she hates having her back turned to him. Her face is bright red on the side where the Dai Li hit her so savagely, and she had a couple of cuts on the other cheek, also. Her curly long hair fell over her shoulders in a wave of beauty that was sprinkled with a generous helping of bruises, and this only made Zuko even more determined. More so than he had been in over two years.

He stood up, and offered a hand to help her up, also. She refused merely stayed exactly where she was, icy blue eyes slicing through his proposal until his hand drops heavily to his side again. She stares (more like glares) up at him intently, and he watches her nervously.

"Gp and wash up in the bathroom, if you want. And you can have my bed tonight; I'll just sleep on the floor," Zuko said hesitantly, not wanting to scare her in any way. He turned, but paused. "I'll go and find you some real clothes. Did the Dai Li feed you anything?"

She glared, and Zuko shivered. "Do I _look_ like I've been fed?"

Zuko swallowed, blinking at his stupidity silently. He gestured to the chest of drawers. "The towels are in the top draw; use all the salts and warm water you want."

He made his way to the door after a hesitant pause, and Katara watched him go; this didn't make any sense whatsoever. She had never been so completely confused and dumbfounded in her life, since she was starting to think that judging by his sincerity and genuineness, he wasn't faking anything. This was getting far too ridiculous; so much so, it actually irritated her.

She squinted in confusion. "What are you _doing_?"

Zuko turned back to her, watching her huddled on the floor. "I'm...I'm not _like_ that," he said simply. He turned, but paused at the doorway again, turning to her. "I'm sorry about this, about what they did to you. You know, like the Dai Li and the Chi Blockers taking your bending and all."

She glared back until he left, but didn't stop glaring even as the door closed behind him. She examined her wrists, hissing; the skin had some clean off in some places. It was at huge risk of infection, since the shackled weren't exactly the cleanest. She examined her ankles, too, sighing as she found them in the same condition. She exhaled sharply, sitting up straight for the first time in days.

She scoffed.

"_Chi Blockers_."

She raised her wrist, flicking her fingers, and the plant in the corner withered away until it was a floating ball of water. Katara moved it to her body easily; she split it up into four perfectly equal segments, before engulfing both her wrists and ankles. The pale blue light shone in the red room, lighting up the somewhat dark atmosphere.

* * *

Did you like it? Did you hate it? ...Do you want to read more?

Tell me with a review! :)

- Yin


	3. Chapter 2

Sorry for the late update! Over the last few weeks its been MAYHEM!

But, anywho...here's Chapter 2! :D (Hey, that rhymed...)

- Yin

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN AVATAR THE LEGEND OF AANG

* * *

**Chapter 2 **

The second Katara had healed the gaping, raw skin over her wrists and ankles, she bolted for the bathroom door, scrambling a little, since walking without shackles for the first time in a full week threw her off a little; she shut the door rather clumsily, hastily locking it before she allowed herself to sigh in relief. Except, even once she had sighed, she didn't feel relieved at all; not even in the slightest.

She leant back against the door, hissing as her still tender bruises brushed against the hard surface; she could feel the fatigue starting to get to her. Not only from the injuries she had sustained through those horrendous beatings or being hunched over in shackles for days, but also from the lack of food the Dai Li tossed at her every now and again. She assessed herself methodically, coming to a conclusion that she was in a rather vulnerable state; repairing herself was her main priority right now. It was never good to be feeling weak in the Fire Nation; especially in the Fire Lord's house himself.

She clicked her tongue absent mindedly, her brows furrowing; Zuko was up to something. She wasn't sure or what, or why, but there had to be _something_ she was missing; maybe he and his father discussed this beforehand, maybe there was a plan, maybe he wanted to eventually gain her trust and draw out information from her about the whereabouts of Avatar Krahyus and both the Water Tribes-

Well, it was either that, or he was being completely genuine, and honestly didn't want to hurt her at all. In other circumstances, Katara would've considered this; Zuko was, after all, related to Iroh, who was one of the most kind and considerate people she had ever met in her life. But she remembered the Zuko that chased her, her brother and Aang all over the world; the Zuko that betrayed her in Ba Sing Se, that didn't even show up to the Final Battle.

She exhaled; Zuko, Ozai's son, performing irrelevant and unnecessary acts of kindness?

And to her? The leader of a so called rebellion? The former Avatar's waterbending master?

She almost started laughing then and there, for actually considering such a ridiculous concept; except, her back hurt quite a substantial amount when she laughed (not that she remembered how to), since the Dai Li pretty much pounded the living daylights out of her. The blow she withstood at the hall, in front of all of the noblemen and women, was honestly nothing compared to previous events in her prison cell.

But she shook her head, regretting the full minute she had completely wasted just standing there; she observed Zuko's bathroom analytically. It was unnecessarily massive, but then again, he was a prince after all. It was styled in a cream and beige design that looked awfully expensive as it did beautiful; Katara instantly noted on the window on the far back wall of the room, purely through reflex. She'd probably need that at some point.

She assessed the situation, walking slowly to the side of the huge bath, running a hand over the edge of the beige marble stone; if a captor were to offer a prisoner a bath and food, they would jump at the chance. She would have to cautious, though; considering their circumstances as well as their history, Zuko would probably expect her to be a bit weary and apprehensive, maybe even hostile.

_"You have to be believeable, Miss Katara," Piandao told her months ago. "If the Dai Li, Ozai or even Zuko would suss you out in a heartbeat if they feel your acts are half hearted or out of the ordinary; and then the entire mission will collapse in on itself." _

Katara licked her lips, pausing a second; she grabbed a towel from the stack on the side, hanging it on the rack that lay close to the huge bath. She barely even moved her fingers, and hot water gushed from the taps of the bath, filling up the tub dramatically quickly. Steam rose into the air, dispersing around her petite, injured frame; this comforted Katara rather well, more so than what she had expected.

She had to use a substantial amount of effort to not let the water heal her automatically as she bathed; if Zuko found that her bruises and scratches were healed, he'd start to become suspicious, and she couldn't afford that, no matter how bad the pain was. Instead, she numbed the injuries a little internally, just so she could move around at not groan from the agony of it all.

* * *

Katara hadn't lived that long (though, it had not been an uneventful 17 years), but she could say without a doubt that this was probably the best bath she was ever going to get. It certainly helped soothe her aching body, the smell of fresh salts relieving her of the rusty, metalic smell of old shackles she'd had to put up with for the last seven days. For a tiny, minute part of a second, she almost let her guard down.

It wasn't long before she climbed out of the bath (since she didn't want to let her guard down), and she almost completely forgetting to control her waterbending as she started to strip the water from her hair; she cursed, settling the water back into her hair again, drenching it. She was so clumsy and tactless today, but she blamed it on the fatigue and hunger.

She only noticed this as she realized that she had forgotten to wait for Zuko to fetch clothes for her before using the bathroom; and there was no way in hell she was going to put on those revealing garments again. She groaned inwardly at her own stupid recklessness, wrapping a towel (_very_ securely) around her as she grinded her teeth together like the indecisive adolescent she should be.

After wasting a full two minutes just standing there, she plucked up the courage and opened the door into a sliver that she could just barely see through, her eyes darting for signs of anything or anyone, not just Zuko. However, she found it completely empty; a pile of neatly folded, ironed clothes sat on the chest of drawers beside the door, adjacent to her, and the small amount of blood smeared over the walls was gone already. The broken shackles had also been disposed of, as well as the spots of dried blood on the carpet that had fallen from her bleeding back earlier.

Katara frowned; they sure did like to clean up fast around here. Nevertheless, she didn't waste the opportunity; grabbing the clothes and slamming the door shut hastily, locking it just as feverishly as she had done before. She didn't know why she was so paranoid, but to be honest, she had a right to be. The Fire Nation clothing brought back a similar nostalgia from when she had once traveled there with her friends.

But Katara no longer cared for things like that anymore; but she suspected that if Aang were alive, she would have.

Now, there was no excuse; now that she was at least strong enough to stand properly, there was no time to let fatigue get the best of her anymore. She walked out of the bathroom cautiously, eyeing the large room like prey being hunted. She crept across the carpet, Zuko's scent filling her nostrils. The room was still completely empty, but she guessed that maybe that was a good thing.

She didn't waste time; she examined the entire room, including the distance from the bedroom itself to the ground floor through the window. It was a little high up, even for a palace; you would probably break a few limbs if you were to jump out. However, judging by how little she knew about the the palace, that seemed to be her only option, when the time came to it.

She glanced above the bed, eyeing the dual swords that hung in a cross over it; those would probably be a problem as and when she were to escape and fight Zuko, eventually. She thought about weakening the blade with some waterbending subtly, or even blunt the tips to make sure at least it couldn't stab through her chest. But it wasn't the right time, since Zuko would probably be back soon.

But Katara didn't linger on the matter; Zuko was not her main priority.

She tried to act the part; seating herself in the corner of the room, where she felt safest. She waited patiently, expectantly, feeling the drops of water run down her back from her wet hair. She sat up straight, blue eyes so cold they resembled, and let Aang's voice dance through her memories, her mind, rioting her emotions enough to stay on target and remind her what she was here to do.

The door opened, and Katara barely blinked; Zuko pushed it open with his back, turning to reveal a long tray of food and water that looked rather heavy. He shut the door behind him quietly with the back of his foot, his head lifting up hesitantly to see her. She sat so rigidly, and he could honestly say her eyes cut straight through him; it was like whatever he did, he always felt like he was doing it wrong.

He approached her slowly, apprehensively.

"I didn't know what you like, or what you would want, so I just got you everything." Zuko said quietly, slowly.

He set the tray in front of Katara; she looked down at the food. It looked so rich, so majestic, so...expensive. So many colours and textures and flavours, some that she had never even tried or seen before in her life. She frowned at the food; it was probably poisoned. Despite what her growling stomach demanded, it was a bad idea to eat or drink from something that she hadn't prepared herself. Agni knows what they had put in it to make her more..._compliant_ to their hormonally enraged Prince-

"It's totally safe," Zuko said firmly, reading the look on her face. His voice was very deep, but it had this strange sort of gentleness about it, that Katara didn't think suited his character at all. "I promise you that that food is totally fine to eat."

She was so blunt, more so than what he remembered about the maternal 15 year old she had been; her icy eyes snapped to him, a look of complete flatness on her face, like she was unimpressed, witholding a glare, keeping at bay a power that concievable at this moment in time. Zuko swallowed hard, feeling his chest erupt as her gaze fixated on him, looking at him like she was actually insulted (which she was).

She pushed the tray to him slowly, by only a few inches.

"Prove it."

Zuko hesitated, and it annoyed him a lot at how much he actually cared about what she thought of him; that ship had sailed years ago. He knelt down a little shakily, due to the nerves Katara's eyes injected into him. He took one small mouthful of each piece of food slowly, chewing it and swallowing it at a glacial pace so that Katara could see for herself that he wasn't _always_ a liar.

He licked his lips nervously as he lifted the glass of water to his lips; he didn't know why, but it felt wrong, consuming her element right in front of her. His eyes glanced at her, and that alone frightened him all over again; even though he knew she had no control over water at that given time, he still felt like he was doing something terribly wrong.

She was very different to look at compared to Fire Nation girls; she looked rather sharp, as opposed to the plain girls he saw everyday. Her eyes threw her entire appearance out of balance against her somewhat-lighter-than-copper skintone. She was the first girl Zuko had ever seen that actually was able to look rather beautiful whilst covered in bruises and scratches.

He held the glass of water in his lap after lowering it from his lips, since he would get another glass for her to drink from; because Agni forbid someone ever drinking from the same glass as another person. He watched her nervously, and Katara just sat there, running her tongue over her teeth as she thought for less than a second about what a prisoner would do; she was incredibly decisive, at least, in matters such as this one, as she pulled the tray closer to her sharply, not quite knowing where to start.

She had never been presented with so much food before, and in such in variation, also; she ate a little apprehensively at first, sticking with fruits and vegetables since they contained a higher amount of water, therefore, being less easy to poison. But after a while, she started to eat normally; or, at least, what Zuko thought was normally. Though she was eating, saying absolutely nothing, she concentrated on him completely.

Zuko got up eventually, walking over to the other side of his room where the single plant now stood; Katara's heart beat quickened, in fear that he might notice that one plant was missing. Nevertheless, she kept her eyes cast downwards, though, inside her mind, she was coming up with multiple ways in trying to defend herself if Zuko were to suddenly attack her having sussed out everything within the space of about 4 seconds.

However, her fear immediately distinguished, since judging by his demeanor, body language and facial expressions, he didn't even notice; he crouched down, pouring the remaining amount of water into the pot of the plant, soaking the soil. Katara held back a smile; in doing that, he was unknowingly helping her. She also even rolled her eyes, since it was silly to waste water in such a way, as he fetched her a new glass.

But then again, he was royal and she was not; he had everything, and he probably wouldn't ever realize that. The Water Tribes had taught her to savour everything, especially in a time like this, with war hunting them down every second of every day; what her people would give to see a variety of foods at their disposal would almost be equivalent to how ignorant the people of the Fire Nation were.

Zuko didn't quite know what to say in the silence, and so he went with the safer option of saying nothing at all. It made sense, though, since he would probably say the wrong thing anyway; he had a real knack for that. Besides, there was nothing even there to talk about, not that that would last long enough to be a problem. Zuko's golden eyes lingered on her too long, watching her.

Katara was completely aware that, though; she had been watching him restlessly from the start.

The game began, as she sipped her water; she didn't look at him.

"Are there any other slaves here?" Katara asked flatly.

The sound of her voice alone was enough to shock Zuko enough to almost fall over; he barely even registered the question, and once he did, his mind scrambled to come up with an answer. He didn't know if she was being sarcastic or serious, whether she wanted comfort or condolences, or whether she was even just wanting to start a fight with him. He didn't know what to do, so for the first time in a long time, Zuko answered honestly.

"We have maids, butlers and chefs, if that's what you mean," Zuko managed eventually, watching her even though she didn't even glance at him. He didn't know whether it was okay to say what he was about to next, but something made him continue speaking anway.

"The male members of the royal family are allowed to have mistresses once they reach manhood," Zuko said a little quietly; Katara continued eating slowly. "But, as for people legally owned by other people and forced to obey them...that doesn't really happen here."

Katara stopped dead, eyes still not lifting to meet his golden ones. "So just me, then."

Zuko physically flinched, her words burning like salt on a wound; his face scrunched like he had just tasted something very sour, but he continued to watch her out of the corner of his eye nervously. Katara came to halt, but after a few seconds, resumed eating quietly in the corner, leaving Zuko feeling awkward and tense, since he had no idea what to say to her. What could he possibly say, anyway?

Katara considered taking some food and hiding it as a constant reserve of water for emergencies (since using the last plant would be too suspicious), but decided against it; she would have to replace it before it spoiled, distract Zuko from going near that certain area of his own room, and make sure none of the maids would ever find it either. It wasn't worth the effort; besides, she trusted herself to act in a time of need effectively.

Once she had finished eating, Katara wrung out her hair of the excess water; and for once, Zuko sort of relished in the fact that she couldn't bend.

* * *

The more Katara concentrated on Zuko, the more it confused her; he acted so nervous, so apprehensive, to the point where Katara started to think he wasn't acting at all. He spoke of noblemen having mistresses since they reach adolescence, but she doubted now whether Zuko ever did have one, since he wasn't treating her the way he should. On the contrary, this was practically service on his part.

Zuko sat on his bed stiffly, silently, glancing over to Katara far too often; however, she never looked at him. He wished he could read her mind and figure out, in her book, at least, what was appropriate to say in a situation like this and what was not. He wanted to offer for her to sit on his bed, but was afraid she might get the wrong impression, and so, resulted in keeping quiet, like always.

And it wasn't like he could saunter off and occupy himself with something else; everyone thought he was..._busy_, and it would look strange for a young man to leave a new mistress so soon. Not only that, but he was still apprehensive about leaving her unattended for long periods of time, since the Dai Li could walk in at any moment and beat her again if they truly wanted to.

"So what does your girlfriend think about all of this?" Katara asked randomly, casually.

Zuko's heart stopped again, for Agni's knows what time that night; he was unprepared for her strange questions, especially since they were becoming more and more difficult to answer. He never knew if he should throw a joke in there, or ask questions of his own, try and hide the horrific truth from her in an effort to protect her feelings from getting beaten like her body, or tell her the truth simply because she has a right to know.

He squinted in confusion. "What?"

She leaned back against the wall, still not looking at him. "You know, the dagger girl," Katara said nonchalantly. "Mai or something like that. Doesn't she have a problem with you having a whore? Who's your worst enemy, at that?"

Zuko blinked; she was awfully blunt, wasn't she? Although, he didn't think that they were 'worst enemies'. Even Zuko admitted that was a rather strong phrase to use; but then he thought about it properly. About the things he had done to her, the ways in which he had tried to kill her and her friends, the lengths in which he went to make sure they didn't have a chance to save the world.

Katara wasn't Zuko's worst enemy; though, he now understood completely if he was hers.

"Mai doesn't have a say anything; there's nothing she can do about it," Zuko replied waveringly. "Noblemen can have as many mistresses as they want; regardless of whether they are in another public relationship."

Katara inwardly scowled. "And who's the lucky girl I took the place of?"

Zuko blinked, frowning. He watched her, though she didn't even look up from the carpet as she leant against the wall; her hair was long, thick and wildly curly, which was far more beautiful than the straw-like the Fire Nation girls possessed. She spoke so flatly, like it was plain truth, practically common knowledge, like anything other than that fact would be considered surprising.

"I don't keep mistresses," Zuko said firmly for the first time in years. "It's disgusting and degrading on both the noblemen and mistresse's part. It's just wrong, no matter what class you're in; it's not faithful, and I highly disagree with the concept of it altogether."

It took a lot for Katara not to stare at him like he was a complete and utter loonatic; on the outside, however, she continued to sit completely rigid. It was strange, because it sounded like something Iroh would teach, and if she tried really hard, she could pretend she was back underground in Kioshi with the Tribes again, listening to the White Lotus preach her about irrelevant things.

Zuko's mouth spoke before he gave it the authority to.

"My mother taught me better than that."

Katara's insides froze quite rapidly; her heart beat quickened at her sudden unsettlement, and her eyes widened to the point where her teeth clamped together so hard it started to hurt her head a little. Her eyes snapped to Zuko immediately, who held her completely bewildered gaze with a calm, rather soft one; but her eyes steadied, her training kicking in, and she started to swell with anger.

She didn't glare, but she may as well of done; the mention of that word, that one word that can turn a smiling Katara into a deadly one had slipped the Prince's mouth, and he couldn't have been more petrified in doing so. But, oddly enough, he didn't regret it; he didn't like playing the idiot who had completely forgotten what happened in Ba Sing Se, who had forgotten the one thing the two actually had in common.

"I need the bathroom." Katara grunted viciously.

She got up swiftly, controlling herself enough to not slam the bathroom door behind her; she locked the door, shaking in anger, wanting to hit, throw, kick or slice something with a blade of water to help her feel better. She used some breathing techniques Jeong Jeong and Iroh taught her, however, to calm her rage that swelled with the mention of her mother.

Her head turned to the window, surprised it had come to this so quickly.

Katara grabbed some towels, lining the seam and the bottom of the door so that no sound could possibly escape. She even froze a few slithers of holes here and there, mentally noting that she had to dispose of the frozen water when she left the room.

Her brows furrowwed in determination. She rushed to the window, opening it widely; the cool night air hit her face evenly, and she relished in it. However, she turned her attention away from this just as evenly; she hopped onto the window sill easily, sitting upon it so that she could swing her legs out of the window, leaning forward a dangerous amount. She checked for guards lower down, but was pleseantly surprised to find none.

She pursed her lips, cupping the sides of her mouth, before whistling out a complicated bird call.

She waited for a response; none came.

She repeated this process a few times, before giving up and trying tomorrow; it was far too early, after all.

* * *

The opened the bathroom door to find Zuko setting up sheets and pillows on the other end of the room, opposite his large bed; she would've been perfectly fine sleeping on the carpet, since that in itself was more than comfortable, but she didn't decline the gesture. She approached the pile of sheets on the floor, tying her hair up, ready for a sleepless night of listening to see if Zuko would try anything.

He looked at her from his wardrobe. "What are you doing?"

Katara blinked. "Going to bed. "

"I told you, you're taking my bed." Zuko said firmly, pointing to the huge bed.

She frowned. "I didn't think you were serious."

Zuko smiled; and it was strange, to say the least. His eyes looked a little like candles, gold and glowing, not like all of the other gold eyes she'd seen before. The smile was short, and didn't last long, but he flashed his perfect teeth at her like it was normal thing to do, when, in actuality, he had not smiled just as long as her. It was sort of unsettling, since she wasn't used to seeing him like that, even though it was only for a second; this only made Katara more determined to keep her guard up.

Zuko then rushed onto his pile of sheets, sort nudging her out of the way so that she wouldn't get there first; after a few confused moments, Katara knew she had no other choice but to take his bed, resulting in her climbing into it apprehensively. It was dangerously comfortable, so much so that she worried if she'd be able to stay up all night.

The sheets smelled just like him, like burnt wood and musk, which made it even more dangerous.

She shuffled under the thick duvet, warm for once.

Zuko clicked his fingers, and every lamp in the room went out instantly. Pitch black followed; well, expect for the moon shining in through the window. The curtains hadn't been opened before, which made Katara guess Zuko had done this for her sake, making her frown into his pillow. Her eyes started to adjust to the darkness, and she readied herself for laying completely awake all night, tracking Zuko's breathing and figuring out a way to subtly break his dual swords so that they wouldn't be a threat to her if she were to-

"Goodnight." Zuko said quietly.

Katara blinked; she hadn't heard that word in years. She didn't say anything, not that Zuko expected her to; she just glanced in his direction, giving him a crazy look from across the room. She listened to him roll over, his breathing eventually slowing until they were regulated, and he was in deep in sleep. It took longer than what she would have expected; what could possibly be troubling a Prince that had so much?

Katara didn't care, because she didn't have time to.

* * *

Sorry for the late update :\ Senior year is driving me flipping insane with the amount of work.

Hope you enjoyed; leave a review, sweeties :)

Until next time! (God knows when that will be...)

- Yin


	4. Chapter 3

Sorry for such late updates guys...but, on the bright side, I've properly planned out the main parts of this story and figured out where exactly I'm going to be taking it :) However, I'm not too fussed about details right now; oh, and I'm impatient, so I'm picking up the pace of this story far faster than what I had intended...oh, well :)

Thanks for all the reviews and stuff :)

- Yin

Disclaimer: I DO NOW OWN AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER

* * *

**Chapter 3 **

Katara exhaled deeply; she had lost track over how many times she had done that weeks ago. She ran her fingers through her long, dark hair, wincing at the amount of knots she had encountered. She could barely sit straight, barely stay perfectly still for more than a couple of minutes; thank Agni Zuko had gone to dinner, or else he would probably think she had gone insane, marching about his bedroom in such a haphazard manner.

She had been bird calling twice a day for over 3 weeks now, and she still wasn't getting a reply; it frustrated her, annoyed her, but more than anything, it worried her. It shouldn't have taken them this long, since it was predicted to have taken on average about a week to breach the Fire Nation Palace's walls; it made Katara ponder over the things that could have slowed them down, any problems they could've encountered. This just made her even more jittery, since she didn't even want to think about which of her friends could be being killed at this very minute.

She folded her arms roughly, turning to the bathroom door again; she could probably sneak in one more call, but the guards might be get suspicious about the wildlife if she did so, since she was already calling so frequently. That, in itself, could ruin the entire plan; but what would that plan be worth if all of her comrades were dead? Katara groaned, grinding her teeth together as she continued to pace the room. Her eyes blinked rapidly as she tried to count every possible scenario of what could damn well be keeping them for so long; she wasn't exactly an easy going person (ever since her mother died, at least), but this was sheer torture.

She sighed exasperatedly, itching though the maroon fabric of her Fire Nation clothing. She was surprised that Zuko had managed to get a hold of female clothing without drawing any attention to himself; but then again, who would dare question the Prince's authority? The clothing was thin, much thinner to her Water Tribe wear, but considering the weather here was barely breathable from the heat, she decided not to let such a matter concern her.

Katara could smell him on her clothes, which she guessed was due to the fact that both their laundry was done together; besides, it wasn't such a bad thing. Zuko didn't smell as bad as she thought he would (actually, he smelled rather nice, not that she'd ever admit it); then again, the rest of her opinion about him stayed relatively the same. However, this was proving to be a much harder task by far than what she had initially intended.

Even though it was bordering on 4 weeks living in such close quarters with him, she still expected him to just one day, say, grab one of his dueling swords off of the walls and pierce it straight through her stomach whilst she slept in his bed; it still didn't make any sense to her. He had her laundry done everyday without fail, brought her an array of food and water every meal time, and still would not even allow her to sleep on the floor. She was living better here than she had ever done in her entire life; however, the one thing Zuko couldn't stop were the weekly chi-blocking visits from the Dai Li, just to make sure 'Lady Katara' didn't have a chance (or the energy) to disagree with her Prince.

She could always tell he felt guilty afterwards, sauntering into the room to find new, very black bruises coursing over Katara's body as she struggled to sit up, hissing and cursing far worse than even what the crew members of his ship had said 3 years ago; but he didn't by any means try to touch her or even say her name, since he didn't feel that he had a right to, to which Katara whole-heartedly agreed with also. Zuko would just watch her from the other side of his room out of the corner of his eye, that pit in stomach swirling from the guilt with every drop of blood that rolled out of the corner of her mouth.

But it was necessary; Katara knew, as she broke down some of her leftover dumplings into water, pressing it against a bruise on her thigh that was particularly bad. The only way this plan would ever work is that if the entire Palace were to live their days in same vicinity as her thinking she couldn't waterbend; but this all seemed so futile now, since if she had none of her allies, her comrades, her friends to overthrow the Palace with her, she may as well just be executed in 3 months as planned by Ozai.

Katara stood up sharply off of Zuko's bed, not able to take much more of this; she didn't care if the guards would get suspicious, she didn't care if Zuko himself would walk in to find her bird calling in the bathroom, since all this waiting was eating her alive. She had already lost her best friend 2 years ago; she was in no way prepared to loose the rest of her friends, either.

She walked briskly to the bathroom, grabbing a towel from the side to cover the cracks on the bottom of the door; but just as she reached out to touch the handle, a sharp, loud knock banged against the door. Katara froze instantly, pale blue eyes practically slicing through the door as her brows furrowed; she had been around Zuko long enough to know that that knock was far to violent, and the Dai Li weren't scheduled to appear to block her chi again for the next 6 days.

Katara bent a little lower through reflex, using all of her willpower not to break down the last plant in the room and the remainder of her dinner into a weapon already; she didn't answer the door, staying perfectly still, her eyes not even blinking as another knock banged against the expensive wooden door. She threw the towel back onto the neatly folded pile, ready to jump back to a sitting position in her corner, but for the first time in over 2 years, she wasn't fast enough; the door opened, but not as violently as she could have expected.

Two Fire Nation guards strode in confidently, closing the door firmly behind them; their builds were stocky and were tall, although, Katara was rather petite anyway, so most men were all far taller than her. Their helmets, covering their faces perfectly, brought back some memories that Katara was not fond of at all, as she tried her hardest to not break down some of the water vapour in the air and send them flying through the door.

"Katara!" Both of the guards cried, stepping forward rather uncharacteristically, reaching out to her. She stood firmly and they both realized how looked, tugging on the helmets until they clattered onto the floor, revealing their faces.

Katara let out a huge sigh that she hadn't even known she had been holding, as she darted to the two young men, who met her, flinging their arms around her petite body.

"Longshot! Haru! Sweet Agni, I thought you were both killed!" she hissed into their bodies as they embraced.

"Believe me, Katara, we very nearly were." Longshot uttered with a frown. His dark eyes looked down at her seriously as they pulled apart, Haru matching his stern look similarly with his own green ones. "You have no idea what kind of security we had to get through just to get into the Fire Nation, let alone the Palace. It's disheartening to think about why Ozai would have stepped up safety."

"We didn't even have time to reply to your calls," Haru added, emerald eyes glistening down at her. "The guards were patrolling the area constantly, which is worrying, considering this is a nation that just won a war mere years ago."

Katara frowned. "We're gonna have to look into that. I don't Ozai's as blind as we think he is."

"That's if we can even afford to," Haru sighed. He paused, taking in his surroundings, reminding himself, his face falling. "Katara, we heard about what happened to you..."

"We thought you'd just be a prisoner or something; we spent days looking for you in the dungeons, and when we heard the news of you and Zuko...," Longshot murmured, looking away. "We could barely believe what Ozai did to you."

"We're so sorry we couldn't do anything, Katara." Haru said solemnly, taking her hand gently. _  
_

"We hope the experience hasn't been too horrific for you..." Longshot added, kissing her other hand gently. "I promise that when this plan unfolds, I'll put an arrow right between Zuko's eyes on your behalf."

Katara shook her head, her frown deepening as she squeezed their hands. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but Zuko has been...more than hospitable. In fact, I've been living better for these 3 weeks than I have been my entire life."

"_What_?" the two hissed in unison, squinting in confusion.

"B-But...he's Ozai's _son_-" Longshot uttered.

"And Azula's _brother_!" Haru spat. "He...He didn't try _anything_ with you?"

"Not _once_," Katara confirmed. "I think he and Ozai have a deal of some sort; something along the lines of trying to get close to me, or gaining my trust in hopes getting me to reveal where the Water Tribes are; or more importantly, where Krahyus is."

"What do you mean?" Longshot questioned.

"He's been like a ally to me; no, _more_ than that! Like a friend!" Katara spat bitterly. "The first thing he did was unshackle me and bring me food, and not leftovers or anything of the sort. Then he gives me clean, less provocative clothing than what the Dai Li dressed me in, allows me to bathe as I please, doesn't even let me sleep on the floor, but makes me sleep in his bed-"

Haru scowled. "That's-"

"Whilst _he _sleeps on the floor!"

"...Oh."

Katara looked away in deep thought. "There's a reason for his behavior, I know there is; I just haven't figured out what yet."

"Well, Smellerbee and The Duke have the Dining Hall," Longshot uttered. "We can have them get a briefing on what Zuko's relationship is like with Ozai during meal times, and how he interacts with Azula, too."

"And don't forget Mai, his dagger wielding partner," Katara added. "Remember that her Uncle is the Warden of the Boiling Rock; she might be key for the outbreak in 2 months."

Longshot and Haru looked at each other worriedly, avoiding eye contact with Katara simultaneously. Katara frowned at this; things were already not going to plan, with a good ten handfuls of problems to deal with already, and it hadn't even been a month yet. She eyed them suspiciously as they sighed, scratching the back of their heads, making her even more curious.

"What is it?" Katara questioned firmly.

Longshot paused, pursing his lips momentarily. "They're getting closer, Katara," he said in his low voice, dark eyes meeting her pale ones. "Fire Nation ships are starting to pay a lot of attention to the Kioshi Islands lately, more so than they have ever done over these past 2 years."

"_What?!_" Katara snapped.

"Guards are now constantly in the village, as well as scouring all the other parts of the islands," Haru spoke solemnly. "We got the news from Sokka that the Fire Nation military are now setting up stations in Kioshi, in attempt to colonize it like they have the Earth Kingdom."

Katara blinked, pale blue eyes alive as she opened her mouth to say something; no words came out.

"It's gotten to a point where the White Lotus have told us to tell you that the Boiling Rock outbreak distraction plan has been moved up to an earlier date to move the plan along a little faster," Longshot spoke. "You of all people know that we cannot risk Krahyus or either of the Water Tribes, Katara."

She paused, inhaling slowing. "Of course," she said quietly, exhaling. "How long do I have?"

Haru pressed his lips together. "12 days."

Her eyes widened. "That's not even two weeks!" she sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Never mind; inform Sokka I've been noted, and of my current position regarding Zuko."

"How's your bending?" Longshot asked. He pushed some hair away from Katara's neck, revealing a very dark bruise. "Looks like the Dai Li aren't taking any chances with you."

Katara scoffed. "You have _no_ idea; they're getting in as much beating as Zuko allows," she said. "I'm still able to bend, of course; but the hard part is hiding it from Zuko, since we live in such close quarters. He seems oblivious to it, but I don't feel comfortable lowering my guard just yet."

"Don't," Haru agreed. "You haven't been sleeping at night, have you?"

Katara scowled. "Of course not! What do you take me for?" she said. "However, fatigue is starting to take it's tole. I think I'm going to have to start scheduling napping periods every time Zuko goes out for a meal or something."

"Be careful, though," Longshot said anxiously. "I don't even want to think about what that tyrant would do to you."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I don't think he has it in him." Katara answered honestly. She paused, looking outside of the window at the darkening sky, brows furrowing. "You'd both better leave; I think he'll be up within the next 10 minutes or so from dinner."

They nodded, hugging Katara one last time, though it lasted a little longer than intended. "We'll try and see you at leat once week, but we can't promise anything, I'm afraid." Longshot said, before they turned to the door, reaching out to the handle.

"Wait a second," Katara said, grabbing their shoulders. Her voice became gentle, resembling how it once did over 2 years ago; it was a voice Haru, Longshot and many other of her friends had forgotten. "How's Krahyus? Did she like the flying bison ice toy I made for her?"

The boys smiled, small and rare. "Well, from what we gathered before we left, she loves it," Haru answered quietly. "She won't put it down."

Katara smiled, and it felt like such a strange, unfamiliar thing on her lips; she wasn't used to it, to say the least. Temporarily, her eyes drifted back to the Water Tribes, and her days spent with Krahyus on the rare occasions when she wasn't training with the White Lotus. Because if you squinted a little, tilted your head, and let your ears perceive sounds a little differently, in the midst of a Water Tribe infant's laugh, you could also hear the laugh of a carefree, 13 year old airebender.

"She misses you, Katara." Longshot added, closing the door softly behind them.

After a while, Katara's smile faded; she resumed her spot in the corner of the room, waiting for the Prince.

* * *

_**Katara;** _

_Death. _

_It's a word that means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. _

_For most people, like me, death started with the Fire Nation; burning down your village, your family, your friends, your hope. For a very long time, death was my mother, being burnt alive in the middle of my family's tent. Death was learning to cook, learning to care for Sokka, for my village, learning to not throw a tantrum every time my father announced he would be leaving on a 6 month long mission again. _

_That death was horrible, and totally changed everything; sometimes I think about how things would've played out if my mother had been spared that day, if it hadn't have been my family to take such a horrible blow for my Tribe. But I learnt over time that death doesn't care; it doesn't care who you are, where you come from, how old you are or what makes you so different from the rest. _

_But mastering healing at the age of 14, I'd learnt to deal with that long ago; I had recognized it, identified it, but in no way able to say that I had accepted it. Because the truth is, if I was presented with the person that killed my friends, my allies, innocent strangers, or my mother...well, let's just say there wouldn't be much hesitation on my part._

_But recently, very recently, just over two years ago to be exact, the meaning of death changed rather dramatically. Death went from my mother, dying in my living room, to a rule, taking my patients, to a game, constantly running from it just fast enough so that it had a chance to nip at our heels before we dived onto Appa. And then, death suddenly became something very different, very raw, very personal._

_Death, or shall I say Ozai, took my best friend. _

_And in doing so, death, or shall I say Ozai, took a piece of everyone._

* * *

Sorry this was so late; you'll have to bear with me guys, as my mocks are coming up.

*shriek*

Leave me a review, and tell me what you think :)

- Yin

P.S. For any of my peeps that read Blue Titanium...recognize the monolugue-y thing-y? :D


	5. Chapter 4

Have a half term break as of now...told my parents I'm studying for my mocks, but really...I'm here. Writing this. Oh, the horror.

- Yin

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER

* * *

**Chapter 4 **

Zuko admitted that he wasn't the most...social person in the world (to put it lightly, excluding the many examples). But even he would've thought that after spending most hours of every day with someone for almost a month would naturally spark opportunities to find some common ground and talk about... _something_. Then again, that was asking for far too much, for many reasons; the main one being that Katara was one of the most frightening people to be around, and Zuko had been around a _lot_ of frightening people.

He didn't exactly know what he wanted, sitting on the end of his bed as he watched her sit cross legged in the the same corner, as she always did; she sat up straight, alert and awake, with a stern look on her face, not that he had seen her face presenting any other emotion all this time. She didn't look at him, of course not; why in Agni's name would she? He didn't deserve even that, and Zuko totally understood that.

Yet, he kept feeling like he had something to prove; he wasn't sure who to, but he was pretty sure that if it was anyone, it would be her. It's not that their deafening silence had gotten any less awkward, it's just that they (meaning Zuko, since Katara hardly cared) had gotten used to it by now. He still didn't quite know how to soften that silence, or whether he even should, but he was beggining to get a little desperate.

So much so, that Zuko revised some of his Uncle's teachings on women (or at least, what he remembered).

_"Women love complements, my nephew!" Iroh laughed, his huge grin coy and smug. "Nothing makes the lovely ladies out there soften to you like hearing a charmingly worded comment of flattery!" _

Zuko blinked hard, surprised at himself for even considering using such a technique; but desperate times call for desperate measures. All he had to do was list some ideas, pick one, and bam; maybe she'd accidently look at him, or if he was lucky, even acknowledge him. And that was far from difficult, since it wasn't exactly a secret that Katara was far beyond the definition of beautiful. _  
_

Zuko glanced at her, golden eyes glad that they finally had a reason to examine her; she had nice skin, really nice eyes, smelled nice, had nice lips, had a nice bod-...(he thought it'd be best not to go there) and nice hair (note to self: find a better adjective than 'nice'). It was long, _really_ long and shiny, and _really_ curly; he hadn't really seen curly hair before, since Fire Nation girls had dead straight, straw-like hair. But having observed Katara's hair for bordering 4 weeks, Zuko decided he preferred curly hair much more. So that was probably a good starting point.

He cleared his throat, preparing himself; she didn't even blink.

"Your hair!" Zuko called out, a little alarmingly. "It-it's long. And it, uh...isn't straight."

He immediately pressed his eyes closed, pursing his lips as he refrained from punching himself in the forehead; he was glad that his father favoured Azula for the throne, since he was probably the worst public speaker (no, just _speaker_) to have existed so far on planet earth. At least he had sort of, kind of, in a way, gotten what he had wanted in the first place; she was looking at him. Not in the way he wanted, but he took what he was given.

Katara cocked her head to him, 1/4 squinting in confusion, 3/4 glaring at him since she couldn't believe he had the nerve to patronize her like that. Whatever kind of deal Zuko had with Ozai in terms of acting so quaint with her sure was a strange one; she blinked, wondering what the hell was Zuko like she always did, every day, whilst wondering today whether he was actually being serious, whether he actually thought that she was as stupid as her brother on cactus juice to ever even for a _second_ buy this whole, 'you-can-trust-me, I'm-a-normal-guy' act.

She looked away in less than a second, but her glare didn't fall. "All girls from the Water Tribes, and even most men have curly hair," she said evenly, her voice rigid and stern. "It's one of our traits that distinguishes us from other people, other than our clothing and skin and eye colour."

Zuko blinked a little, since he couldn't actually believe that she was talking to him; _Katara_ was _talking_ to him! And not screaming death threats or very crude profanity like she had in previous years, but actual _words _that weren't _insults_! That, he had to admit, was a great win on his part. Not that he knew what he was supposed to do now, in speaking terms with her, and that glare on her face still wasn't that pleasent, but at least now they were _conversing_-

"Too bad that once your father finds the Water Tribes, that trait, as well as many others will be brutally murdered along with me, my family, and my people," Katara practically spat. "I guess if it's not Fire Nation, it's not worth keeping."

Zuko winced, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment and guilt.

So much for conversing; it was a long shot, anyway.

* * *

"So, erm..." Mai started shakily, which was very, very unlike her. "How's everything with Avatar Aang's girl?"

Zuko glanced over to her from his meal, meeting her analytical gaze for only a few moments. His amber eyes soon dropped back to his dinner, which he had been picking at for the past 35 minutes now, barely even eating much of. It puzzled him, since Mai hadn't even mentioned their 'predicament' yet; he knew it was insensitive and just plain rude, but he hadn't even stopped to consider how she was feeling amidst all of this. Zuko continued to play with his food before answering, picking away at his already shredded meat.

But if he's honest, he doesn't actually care about how she feels.

He licks his lips in guilt. "Fine."

Mai paused, as if thinking about saying something but deciding against it; she nodded, looking down at her own meal again, pushing a dainty piece of potato into her mouth silently. He'd expected her to throw an uproar about it, constantly scolding him for the situation, maybe even break up with him altogether because this wasn't what she expected of him, even if he was royal. But technically, whether Mai had any idea or not, Zuko wasn't _actually_ doing anything wrong; this is enough of excuse to let the topic of Mai saunter out of his mind, not that it was every properly there at all these past few weeks.

"What do you mean?" Zuko questioned, trying to seem disinterested by keeping his gaze locked onto his lunch.

Mai perked up a little, but not much. "I just thought since you've been spending a lot of..._time_ with her recently-"

"No," Zuko corrected. "I mean about her being Avatar Aang's girl."

Mai's face fell a little, so she turned back to her meal. "Oh, you know, since they traveled around a lot together," she said in a flat voice. "It was hardly a secret that the late Avatar had feelings for her."

"I see," Zuko said, pausing for a second. "So the feeling was mutual, then?"

Mai squinted in confusion, but still didn't look at him. "What?"

"Well, you said 'his girl', implying that they were an item," Zuko said evenly, not looking at her either in an effort to hide his interest. "And since they traveled for over a year together, it only seems natural that-"

"What does it matter anyway, Zuko?!" she spat, snapping her head to him so that she could glare into his startled amber eyes. The rest of the table was so loud, they barely even noticed; leaving Zuko to just stare at his girlfriend with shock and confusion. She continued to glare at him; it was cold, and a little scary, but nothing compared to Katara's glare, ZUko noted, to which this seemed like a basket of new-born turtle-ducks.

He admitted, it was still a little scary though. Her eyes hardened as they fixate on him for the first time in a long time.

"He's dead, and she's yours now."

Zuko blinked at her, surprised, to say the least. She eventually let out a harsh sigh, turning back down to her lunch again, and Zuko had a feeling that would be it for conversation involving Mai, and after a few minutes of confused staring passed, he too turned back to his food. It didn't matter much, though, since she fell from his mind rather immediately; instead, he wanted to ask about Avatar Aang to Katara, but was pretty sure that that would get him killed if he even considered it for too long. Hell, he couldn't even say her _name_; let along bring up her deceased best friend, who, to add, died at the hands of his father.

Mai stood abruptly. "I'm feeling a little unwell. Please excuse me for dinner, also."

Barely anyone took anyone notice of her, but she left too quickly for them to anyway. Zuko frowned after her, wondering what she had eaten that made her feel so unwell, and whether he should feel hesitant about eating his own meal because of this. He eyed his dinner suspicious, and then the thought popped into his head that maybe Mai wasn't feeling ill due to the food, but he didn't dwell on the matter.

"What's wrong with your girlfriend, Zuzu?" Azula asked with a grin, nudging his elbow beside him.

He pushed some meat into his mouth casually, answering honestly. "I don't know."

* * *

Zuko walked into the room, closing the door softly behind him. Katara sat in her usual spot; back straight, caramel skin gleaming, pale blue eyes making him shiver from their coldness. She didn't even look his way as he padded across the room to sit on the end of his bed awkwardly, still unaware of what to say to her. He could smell her even from where he was sitting, a cool, fresh scent that was a little sweet on the ends, nothing like what Mai smelled like. Her hair was still a little damp, making it look even longer against her lithe form.

He opened his mouth to say something which he wasn't completely sure of yet, but she beat him to it.

"When's my execution?" Katara questioned flatly.

Zuko pressed his lips together. "A couple of months, I think," he answered honestly. "But I haven't spoken to Oz- I mean, my father as of yet about it, so I wouldn't know if he'd have changed it or anything like that."

Katara blinked, nodding. He had to be lying; judging by that information, Zuko and Ozai didn't seem that close at all, which wouldn't explain why he was treating her so well, with such...humaneness. He probably new exactly when the date was but was just refraining from telling her anything, trying to make her believe her was on her side or something ridiculous like that. She shuffled, sighing quietly; they were clearly being careful about hiding their plan, which made it even harder to figure out. She reminded herself to talk to Longshot and Haru next time about what Smellerbee and The Duke have learned from watching Ozai and Zuko interact, as they spied from outside the Palace.

Zuko watched her, reciting what he had just said in his head, again and again; he could only think of one thing. What the hell did he have to loose? She was going to die soon anyway, and it's not anyone would know of their time together. So why not just try to convince one person on this earth that he wasn't a total heartless monster that everyone thought? It's not like she had anyone to tell, so why not use her company for some good, and at least attempt to clear his already marred name?

"I was never close with Ozai," Zuko said abruptly, leaning on the edge of his bed, closer to her. "Not even before he decided to burn half my face off when I was 14; and that didn't exactly do good for our relationship."

Katara's eyes darted to him in confusion and shock, but then darted back to maintain her stoic appearance; why would he even contemplate telling her all of this? This surely couldn't have been part of the plan between him and Ozai, since he was unveiling such risky information that would've taken Smellerbee and The Duke days to confirm from spying outside and in secret. What in Agni's name was _wrong_ with-

"The only people that I have ever even been remotely close with was my Uncle Iroh and my mother," Zuko admitted, wincing after not having said his Uncle's name in such a long time. "But I don't deserve an Uncle like him, and my mother would be ashamed to call me her son if she were still alive, anyway."

Katara scoffed, rather irritated. "No, she wouldn't."

Zuko snapped his head up to look at her, not believing she had actually said something. "What?"

Katara was angry now, for a lot of different reasons that Zuko wasn't aware of; she swiveled around to meet him, a stone cold look on her face that made Zuko sit back further on his bed. She couldn't quite help herself at this moment in time, but it wouldn't matter much anyway; the Boiling Rock distraction was set to launch in about 2 days now, and so she wouldn't have to wait long before taking care of Zuko; whatever happened now was irrelevant.

"I agree, you _don't_ deserve an Uncle like him," Katara spat. "But even though you've done some disgusting, horrific and plain monstrous things, believe me when I say that if your mother were alive, she wouldn't care. She would still love you."

Zuko's golden eyes started to engulf her with it's warmth and charm, but she didn't let him. He leaned closer, his face softening at her. "What do you...what you do you mea-"

"Mothers are just like that," Katara hissed. "They have this...strange, naive ability to look past all the shit that their children have done and still love them despite all of those disastrous things. Take it from someone who's had to take care of everything with a pulse since my own mother was taken from me 9 years ago."

Zuko watched her silently; her nose crinkled slightly in her intense frown, her eyes looking like they were ready to tear out his insides and paint a new shade of red on his bedroom walls. A piece of dark, long hair fell over her shoulder as she leaned forward to glare at him, brushing against the side of her caramel covered cheek softly, the dark colour contrasting with her pale blue eyes.

Zuko wasn't really thinking as he spoke the words.

"Do you know who killed her?"

Katara's brow furrowed, leaning back in surprise; his golden eyes were fixated on her, burning through her own pale blue ones. This conversation was starting to get a little too personal, a little too risky than what she would have preferred, especially at a time that was so close to the overthrowing of the Palace. She should remain a little cautious as she proceeded, but she couldn't quite help herself; she tried not to think about how this would impact battling Zuko in 2 days time, once the Boiling Rock distraction had launched.

"No," she stated, not loosing his gaze. "They came in a fleet of Fire Nation ships. But the flag was different. It...it had a black raven marking on it."

"The symbol of the Southern Raiders." Zuko said immediately.

Katara's head snapped to him; suddenly, this just got very personal. "You know them?"

He nodded briskly. "They're an elite fleet of Fire Nation ships; their former leader, Yon Rha, retired quite recently. He lives in a little Fire Nation village..." Zuko spoke, his eyes fluttering a little. He gazes at her, locking onto her.

For the first time in a long time, Zuko was ready risk something a little too willingly.

"I can take you there."

Katara drew in a sharp breath, eyes alive in total shock; it was an emotion Zuko had never seen on her face before, but then again, he had only ever seen her stoic or frowning. Her full, mauve lips parted a little, but soon clamped shut as she grinded her teeth together. This had escalated far too quickly, and she should've been more aware of this, should've been more careful at the types of things Zuko had now succeeded in getting her attention with, should've been more cautious to all of this and not thrown caution to the wind merely because she'd kill him in 2 days time-

But she didn't care. All she could hear was her mother screaming in her mind, the smell of her charred flesh burning in the middle of her tent, of Yon Rha's yellow, beady eyes cackling at her, because he knew she'd be motherless within the next few minutes. Katara thought of the sleepless nights soothing a crying Sokka months, even years after, learning how to cook and clean and mend clothing, putting up with her father leaving for months on end on missions, forcing herself to throw out her mother's clothing a few years later because it had lost her scent long ago-

Haru, Longshot, Smellerbee, The Duke, Sokka, The White Lotus - they would just have to wait.

"Okay," Katara stated. "Let's leave tonight."

* * *

_**Time Passed Since Avatar Aang's Death: **_**13 Hours **

_A team is very strong word; it means you're not alone. _

_It means that no matter how much trouble you find yourself in, there always going to be people there to, hopefully, pull you out of that trouble, or face it with you. It means that skin colour, age, height, gender suddenly all becomes as meaningless as the amount of clouds in sky; it means it doesn't matter who you are, where you're from, what you've done. As long as you have all of your team, you have a family. You have home. You are safe._

_But who the hell were they kidding?_

_Teo, The Duke, Haru, Smellerbee, Longshot- they were all scattered across the small tent, shivering. This was half due to the cold from the outside, half due to the fact that they, along with everyone else, had just lost everything. The rest of their friends were either dead or in jail, in the Boiling Rock; the impenetrable force that they shouldn't even consider reckoning with. However, at the sub zero temperature like it was here, in the South Pole, it was nice to think about boiling, burning, sizzling things; but not given what had just happened, over half a day ago._

_Toph cried against Sokka, who held her close to him, but she wasn't the one crying; they all cried in different ways. Some, like The Duke and Smellerbee, like Sokka and Toph, huddled together to kid themselves that maybe things were okay, maybe it was just your average cold night out on travels, and you need to get a bit closer to keep up body heat, and all that stuff. _

_Sokka glanced at Katara; and he knew that this was hardly a team anymore. _

_She sat on the floor, a hand covering her face as her eyes leaked tears again and again and again. That was all she could manage, since she had already spent hours screaming, kicking, hurling about so much snow outside that there was practically no village left. She had this horrible, sick feeling in her gut; swirling around again and again, and she had excuse herself to vomit multiple times already. _

_She could still hear his laugh. She could still see his smile. She could still see those bashful, pink cheeks before her as he would thrust her a handful of Panda Lillies, mumbling something about he knew she liked them. She could still feel his monk uniform brush against her skin at night as she cradled him, she could still smell his fresh scent, mixing in with the smell of his salty tears, drawn out from his nightmares. _

_"Aang..." Katara's voice cracked as she said his name, again and again. _

_She was afraid she might forget it, now that he wasn't here anymore. Who was going to annoy her, confuse her with his strange sense of humor she never understood. Who was going to climb into her sleeping bag at night when Ozai was a little too vivid in their nightmares? Who was plant a soft kiss on her cheek, the corner of her lips, her hand, at the most inappropriate times?_

_She looked up at what was left, at what he left behind; this was not a team. _

_This was just a room of children, minus one. _

_"Lady Katara, Master Sokka," Iroh said quietly, popping his head through the tent. "We need you out here for a second." _

_It was difficult, so so difficult, having to pick herself up and stumble out into the cold. This was probably due to the fact that she had continuously thrown up the contents of her stomach for hours now, because no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the smell of his blood out of her nose. Sokka helped stable her, not that he was that strong himself. He didn't say a word, hadn't done for hours and hours now. _

_They walked into the makeshift Mess Hall, which was just a fancy word for a very big tent; the White Lotus stood within it, minus the adults that had been taken into the Boiling Rock, eyes just as sullen as theirs. They were all quiet for a long minute or two as they watched the two Water Tribe adolescents stare vacantly at the floor with eyes that no longer gleamed with hope and perseverance. _

_Piandao laid a hand on both of their shoulders; he respected them enough not dwell on it. "Ozai's coming for the Water Tribes." _

_Their heads snapped up. "What?" Sokka hissed. _

_"The new Avatar, a baby girl names Krahyus, has just been born mere hours ago," Jeong Jeong uttered. "Ozai knows that the next Avatar is in either of the Water Tribes, so he's hunting them down to exterminate them, before the young Avatar can become old and strong enough to succeed in what Avatar Aang didn't." _

_"We need a place to go, and fast," Bumi added. "Somewhere where we can take both the Tribes into hiding. Somewhere that hasn't been colonized, a place where Ozai wouldn't even worry about searching." _

_"Is Pakku still in the Northern Tribe?" Katara questioned alarmingly. _

_Iroh nodded. "He has the Tribe packed and ready to go; we just need a place." _

_The two siblings looked at each other, their blue eyes still glistening. Katara's brows creased, looking away; she still expected to hear his voice, to suggest a plan. SHe still expected to hear Aang bombard through the door, covered in snow, avid to show her a new waterbending move he had invented to impress her. She was still waiting for him to walk in and hug her, to walk in say, 'It'll be fine!', to walk in and save them, her people, _her_._

_But how long would she wait? No, how long _could_ she wait? _

"I wasn't there when the Fire Nation attacked my people," _Aang had said, along those months ago. _"I'm going to make a difference this time."

_"The Kioshi Islands," Katara answered. "It's a tiny collection of Islands, and they are indebted to Aang. We can hide the Tribes underground, and from there, we can come up with a proper plan to do something about Ozai before he can get to the Water Tribes or the new Avatar." _

_The elders blinked at her, turning to Sokka. _

_He nodded, uttering his first words since Aang's death. "To the Kioshi Islands." _

* * *

Day-hem that was a fast update, huh?! It's 'cause I have a lot of exams, so decided to make up for all of the time you all would be waiting...sorry for the typos! Hope it doesn't make you hate me or the story :)

Tell me what you think so far! :)

- Yin


	6. Chapter 5

I feel like I have too many Zutara ideas rushing around in my head and I don't want to loose them...maybe one day they'll all be here, on this site forever, hmm? (If I can ever find the time...)

- Yin

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER

* * *

**Chapter 5 **

Katara waited avidly for the sharp knock on the door; Zuko had told her he would try and hurry with dinner, so she didn't have long to break the news to Haru and Longshot. And though this should've been her main concern as of that moment, it wasn't; her main concern was if her mother's killer, Yon Rha, still had the same burning, golden eyes as he did 9 years ago, or if he was now weak and fragile, maybe attempt to put up a futile fight against her, or if he even knew that the last Southern waterbender had survived.

Longshot and Haru didn't even bother knocking, since they knew the meal times of the Fire Nation royals; they opened the door carefully, quietly, as to not draw in any suspicion from the other guards. Longshot closed the door silently as Haru hugged Katara feverishly. Longshot did the same, holding her tightly; in the days under Kioshi, she had grown extremely close with them; but they didn't have time to think about those days. The three were silent in the embraces, parting swiftly.

"What's wrong? What was with the bird call earlier today?" Haru questioned. He frowned, his voice lowering. "Did he touch you?"

"No, no," Katara uttered quickly. "It's nothing like that."

"Well, it doesn't matter; we'll be killing him tonight anyway." Longshot uttered sharply, his dark eyes glistening at her.

Katara frowned. "What do you mean? They're not infiltrating the Boiling Rock for another two days."

"They had to start earlier; the Fire Nation stations in Kioshi are starting to question the villagers violently about the location of the Water Tribes," Haru spoke with a furrowed brow. "They're so close to revealing the Tribes, it's insane; Krahyus and the people don't have long."

"Wait, so..." Katara paused. "Ozai is leaving _tonight_?"

Longshot nodded briskly. "And even better; Azula's leaving with him."

"Thank Agni the plan actually worked; the Palace's authority now temporarily lies with Zuko, and he's small fry," Haru smirked. "The small party of warriors are on their way now. The invasion of the Palace is starting tonight, Katara; make sure you're ready."

"Shit, talk about bad timing," Katara hissed under her breath. The boys raised a brow at her. Katara sighed sharply, her knuckles cracking as she clenched her fists, her icy blue eyes snapping to her friends, her perfectly shaped brows creasing heavily.

"There's a problem."

* * *

"Y-You're leaving?" Zuko repeated shakily. "_Tonight_?"

Ozai grinned, his eyes looking a little menacing (not that they ever weren't).His golden eyes cut through Zuko easily, as they always had. He pushed some potato into his mouth, chewing and swallowing slowly before answering his son. Zuko waited patiently, but it wasn't like he had any say on the matter; nobody hurried Ozai. As a matter of fact, nobody did anything against Ozai at all; especially not him, given his reputation and all. Zuko swallowed, waiting avidly for his reply.

"There's been a bit of an uproar in the Boiling Rock; a few of the prisoners, have somehow, been broken out by a small team that infiltrated the prison. I need find out what has gone on, and see if there are any clues as to whether it is related to the rumors of the rebellion your _peasant_ whore formally lead with her friends and the Order of the White Lotus."

"But it's an impenetrable force, completely surrounded by boiling water," Zuko questioned, trying to sound as calm and as reasonable as possible (which proved difficult). "How can someone actually break in, retrieve prisoners, and then escape, making it out alive?"

"Well, that's why me and your sister are going there, my son." Ozai said in a low voice. His eyes narrowed, his eery smirk not faltering for even second; Zuko may as well have been the only person at the table. "I trust you'll keep the Palace, as well as that _peasant _in order?"

Zuko blinked, forgetting he had to answer for a moment. "Y-Yes, father."

Azula grinned beside him. "Make sure you get the chi blockers on her frequently whilst we're gone, Zuzu; wouldn't want her causing any trouble, now would we?"

"Obviously." Zuko uttered, focusing his attention on his dinner.

* * *

"Are you _insane_?!" Haru cried, a little too loudly. "You're going let Zuko take you across the Fire Nation to avenge your mother?! _Now_?! Just as the Palace infiltration starts?! You're out of your damn mind, Katara! You can't actually be serious!"

Katara was quiet for a long moment; she remembered her mother's stories, her laugh, her kisses. She remembered her mother scolding her and Sokka for leaving their toys all over the floor, or scolding Sokka for not eating his vegetables, or scolding her father with a blush for kissing her in front of everyone. She remembered her family, what they once were; and what they were now.

"I have to do this, Haru." Katara stated quietly. "He took her from me, from my family. I can't just sit around here whilst I know he's out there, living a rich and peaceful life after all of the damage he has done. If Zuko is offering me a way to him, don't expect me to decline. I'm not asking you, Haru."

Haru wavered, since he could never disagree with her for that long. "B-But the Palace; without your help, there's no way we can hold off all of the guards! As of now, I'm the only bender here, even with the warriors! And Katara, Zuko doesn't even know you can bend; the chi blockers are coming for you tonight, once they're done with you, there's no way you can bend without Zuko finding out about the entire plan-"

"Go," Longshot interrupted. "We'll just ask for some of Pakku's waterbenders to replace you whilst you're gone."

Katara smiled, throwing her arms around his neck as Haru gaped.

"_What_?!" he cried. He covered his eyes with his hand. "Longshot, you were more useful when you never spoke-"

"She needs to do this, Haru," Longshot stated. He paused, turning to him, his dark eyes already persuading Haru before he had even spoken. "I've lost my mother, my entire family, in fact. I know what this means to her; if I had the chance, I wouldn't say no, either."

"Thank you." Katara whispered, breaking away from him. "I'll be back as soon as I can; the second me and Zuko reach the Palace waters in two days' time, I'll take care of him. Try and hold the Palace out until then."

"But what about the chi blockers?" Haru questioned. "You're due to be blocked today, after dinner; if Zuko sees you bending afterwards, he'll know that this entire time playing the weakling has been a ploy. And even if you pretend not to be able to bend, what's the point of you going? And what if Zuko tries something, tries to betray you, since it's not like it's unlike him-"

"If Zuko does turn on me, I'll kill him there and then; that is, once I've killed Yon Rha." Katara said evenly.

"And the Dai Li chi blockers?" Longshot questioned.

Katara licked her lips. "I'll...figure something out," she said biting her lip. "You'd better go; Zuko should be back soon."

Haru raised a brow. "He only left 15 minutes ago."

"He's hurrying dinner so that we can leave earlier." Katara explained, noting their squints of confusion. "I know, I know; I'll be extra careful when alone with him, I promise. I'm sort of expecting him to attempt to kill me in my sleep, anyway, since it would be so easy to, so it's not like I won't be any less prepared."

The boys hugged her again, lingering for a second before pulling away. Katara tried her hardest to smile as they left, but she found it difficult, since it was such a foreign thing to her now; she tucked some hair behind her ear, wishing she had something to tie half of it up with, like she always did; Haru lingered in the doorway, turning to meet her pale eyes with his sparkling, sincere green ones.

"I only give you hell because I care about you so much," Haru said quietly, with a charming smile he couldn't help. "You know that, right?"

Katara nodded; she kissed their cheeks briefly before they left, since it had become a little tradition back in Kioshi. She closed the door quietly behind then, leaning against the expensive mahogany for few seconds. She knew that if Aang were still around, he would've disapproved of her decision to avenge her mother. She knew he would try to persuade her, though, not daring to raise his voice because he never would, since he loved her far too much, and he was too soft, too kind hearted, and he wasn't that much of the confrontational type anyway.

She pressed her forehead against the cold wood, closing her eyes.

She pictured his eyes, his smile, hearing his laugh in her ears, and for less than a second, it was like he never left her.

* * *

Zuko tried his hardest to look as ill as possible; he claimed he must have caught whatever he had from Mai (being her boyfriend and all), which was a perfectly viable excuse. Because of this, no one thought it to be strange as he left the table early; on the contrary, his father and Azula left even before him, since they wanted to be on their way as soon as possible.

Zuko walked briskly into his room, shutting the door firmly behind him before letting out a relieved sigh; believe it or not, but he was never actually comfortable with lying. He looked up to see Katara, sitting on the large window frame; she had her arms folded, the moonlight bouncing off her caramel skin through the open window. Her legs shook impatiently, her darker than dark hair cascading over her shoulder from the light breeze, brushing over the skin of her cheek before her sharp eyes met his body immediately, making her spring up from anticipation and surprise.

"Sorry I took so long," Zuko explained, still a little nervous around her. "I have some good news, though; my father and sister are leaving the Palace for a couple days, so they won't even have to know of our absence."

"That's...some great timing," Katara said evenly. She paused, glancing at her own attire, then at Zuko's. "Maybe you should try and find something else for us to wear. These clothes don't exactly hide our identity, and I don't exactly look like the typical Fire Nation damsel."

"R-Right," Zuko agreed, her clean-cut voice alarming him a little from the sharpness. "I should be able to find something."

"Try and get some masks, too." Katara added sternly. "And dark colours. None of this red and maroon shit. The last thing we want is for someone to think you're of royalty."

"Right, masks..." Zuko muttered, his Blue Spirit disguise coming to mind for the first time in years.

A sharp knock at the door interrupted them before either of them could say anything else; they both glanced at each other, which made their stomach's swirl a little in itself, before Zuko walked to the door sturdily, opening it only half way.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, my Prince," a Dai Li member spoke, entering the room with three others. Zuko closed the door as they lined up in front of Katara, grinning a little before replying. "It's time to block her chi again, your majesty. Especially since Lord Ozai and Princess Azula are leaving the premises for a while; wouldn't want the peasant getting any ideas, now would we?"

They stepped closer to Katara and she braced herself, closing her eyes so that she wouldn't become unnerved in anticipation for the first attack. Instead, her nostrils were filled the smell of burnt wood and musk that she was now oh so familiar with; Zuko planted himself in front of her, his back brushing against her nose from the substantial difference in height. His Fire Nation robes, she realized, were much softer than they looked. They smelled exactly like him, the same smell she had been smelling for weeks now; however, it wasn't a particularly _bad _smell (at _all_), so she didn't mind as much as she should have.

"I do not authorize blocking her chi, today," Zuko spoke firmly. He could feel the warmth of her petite body against his back, unintentionally urging him on. "It's becoming somewhat of a nuisance, having to wait for her to recover so that she can perform at an optimum level."

Katara tried to hide her confusion and shock, though this didn't stop her scowling behind the safety of Zuko's broad back.

"But, my Prince, we only do this to keep you safe," one of the Dai Li tried to reason softly. "Who knows what she would do if given a chance!"

"Are you saying I can't control pathetic Water Tribe peasant?" Zuko said in a loud voice, advancing a little. "Are you underestimating my abilities?"

"Of course not, your majesty!" they cried in unison, straightening.

"Then get out of my chambers," Zuko snapped. "And if any of you are to question my word again, see to it I'll have you severely taken care of."

"Yes, your majesty!" they all cried again, exiting the room swiftly, the door closing shut gently behind them.

Katara didn't waste time hesitating; she sprung away from behind him, so she was at least a fair distant away. Her eyes were cautious, ready, concerned and analytically perfect. Her left hand remained behind her, and she couldn't help but draw a few droplets of water from the air to her fingertips, readily holding it there just to provide a little security to herself, a little weapon, just in case.

"Why did you do that?" she snapped flatly.

Zuko looked back at her and shrugged. "What's the point of me taking you to Yon Rha if you can't waterbend?"

His eyes were like a trap, like a poisonous gas, like a sticky, venomous substance that was slowly seeping into her brain, trying to draw something from her, anything from her that she was not willing to share. She narrowed her eyes at him, checking his body language, facial expressions, watching the corners of his pale pink lips for any signs of a smirk, a sneer. Even though she found none, she wasn't convinced.

"You're a powerful bender, judging from what people say about you and our current...predicament," Zuko coughed, faltering slightly. "Since the last time you've been blocked was just over a six days ago, your bending should be back soon; hopefully, by the time we reach Yon Rha's village."

Katara's eyes narrowed further; she didn't realize that he had been so analytic himself, as to attempt to calculate independently when exactly her bending would be restored once more naturally; the water on her fingertips turned to ice. He's probably tracking the information as to see when the best time would be kill her, or at least use this whole 'saving her from the chi blockers' charade as to gain more trust from her, in attempt to fool her.

"You don't seem very bothered about the fact that me having my bending means that I could easily kill you after I've done so to Yon Rha." Katara said evenly.

Zuko watched her, feeling as if he should be taking up a combat stance or something; she looked like she was quite ready to hack off his head with that glimmer in her pale blue eyes, with the rigged-ness of her shoulders. Some hair fell over her shoulder; the dark strand curling and twirling its way all the way down a little past her waist. He was only starting to notice that her arms were scattered with scars, some big, some not. He rightly assumed that this meant the scars coursed throughout her entire body, too, because they were.

He had one big scar, and she had many small ones; but they were equivalent to one another.

Perhaps they weren't as different as he had initially thought.

"Maybe I'm just too optimistic." Zuko replied, even offering a half hearted grin.

Katara inwardly shook her head; she had learnt long ago that optimism will be the death of you. "Maybe so."

She didn't even dare to blink at him, didn't even dare to move a muscle; the droplets of water stood at guard on her fingers, ready. That was all she needed, and quite honestly, that was all she desired. It wouldn't hurt to have a little more, though; Zuko scratched the back of his head nervously, not quite knowing what to say next as she just held her ground a couple of paces from him, ready to strike at any damn movement of his.

"You better start practicing your bending; Agni knows how long it's been since you last had a chance to," he offered. "I'm sure it'll do nothing but good to your chi paths to exercise them. Just...try not to break anything. The maids might get suspicious."

"Wouldn't want that." Katara muttered, straightening, but not through ease.

"I'll go and get the clothes," Zuko said, for no particular reason, leaving briskly.

Only then did Katara disperse the water back into the air; she decided that there were some things about Prince Zuko that would just die a mystery, along with him. Which, as a matter of fact, shouldn't be long now.

Shouldn't be long now, indeed.

* * *

Katara walked out of the bathroom just as she fastened her mask around her neck; it only covered her mouth and nose, but oddly enough, she preferred that. But to be quite honest, she would've preferred anything to the maroon Fire Nation clothes Zuko had leant her. Now, she was clad in one of her favourite colours; neutral, understanding, (quite appropriate because Aang), black.

She left her mask rest under her chin as she blew some hair out of her face, leaning over to adjust her knee high boots better. The attire felt a lot like her Water Tribe clothing, despite the colour; the only thing that brought her back to earth, to this moment, was Zuko. He stood in front of her in his black clothing also, and she could see the glisten of his dual swords strapped to his back in the dim lighting.

She immediately felt quite hostile, through that totally life saving reflex she had developed over the years. She purposely left the bathroom door open; reading to burst one of the pipes if she needed to, if Zuko acted suspicious, or if she thought it was necessary to. Zuko just stood in front of her, scratching the back of his neck since he still didn't know how to talk to her; Katara fixated her eyes on his swords.

"How's your bending?" he tried, though it sounded a little too enthusiastic.

"Perfect." Katara answered flatly. Her face was like stone, her eyes so flat, so cold. "How's yours?"

"F-Fine..." Zuko replied nervously, not sure if he should've answered. He swore under his breath, wishing he just had a way with people; but that wasn't who he was, so he just went for it. He thrust out his palm, opening his black gloved hand. "Here. I got you this."

Katara stepped back quickly, thinking he was going to attack her; condensation from the bathroom windows rushing to her back in a small quantity. She dispersed it, though, having taken a look into Zuko's palm. She could barely see it against his black gloved hand, but in the centre lay a black hair band; her eyes snapped to him, squinting, not understanding.

"I just thought you wouldn't want your hair in your face when avenging your mother," Zuko explained quickly. "He deserves to see your face. He deserves to see the daughter of the woman he murdered; he deserved to see the face of his own killer."

She watched him for a long, long second; she slowly took the hairband, nodding in thanks as she used it to tie her thick, dark, long hair into a high ponytail. She almost sighed in relief, since she hated leaving her hair completely down; the thickness of her hair affected her hearing, as well as getting all in her face and eyes and mouth, which made it harder to concentrate.

With the hair pulled away from her face, she finally felt ready; Zuko watched her, slightly apprehensively. Her long, dark eyelashes blinked slowly as she tied her hair, pale blue eyes now not shrouded by her hair, were in full view; alive, electric, menacing, like stone. She licked her lips, her saliva being her only companion and weapon as Zuko closed the bathroom door, drew the curtains, straightened the bed.

"Don't you want to carry some water with you?" he asked suddenly. "I'm sure I can find a pouch of some kind..."

"I'll be fine." Katara assured blandly, taking a bit of offence to the remark.

It was sort of hard to believe her, since Zuko hadn't even seen her waterbend at all yet; a part of him doubted whether she had even gotten her bending back yet, but he decided to let the matter slide, since confronting her about the topic was definitely not an option. They both pulled up their black masks, covering their noses and mouths simultaneously He opened the window through the closed curtain, looking down the few stories at the guards, who patrolled the length of the building.

"Do you think you can jump?" he asked. As far as he knew, water didn't allow flight like fire could. He scratched the back of his head again awkwardly, wishing he would have thought this through a little better so that he wouldn't have to make such a suggestion. "I-I guess I could carry you or something..."

Katara rolled her eyes. "Have the guards turned the corner?"

Zuko peered out the window in confusion. "Yeah, but-"

She was already at the window, leaning her hand on the window sill before pushing against it, her body leaping through the flapping curtains and the open window, and she was gone. The room didn't feel right without her. Zuko gaped, sticking his head out the window in horror, waiting to hear her body smack against the floor in a cold thud; Zuko decided that all women, be it from the Water Tribes or the Fire Nation, were totally insane.

Katara felt a breeze, a _breeze,_ brush over her honey coloured skin, run through her hair for what felt like the first time in years as she fell, that familiar exhilaration greeting her again; the crisp air reminded her of Aang. She whipped water from either side of her, pulling the water vapour from the atmosphere in two huge, C-shaped motions; the water ends met at her feet, catching her easily, slowing her to careful, silent halt, a metre from the ground. She kept the water at her right hip in a ball, landing into a crouch.

Zuko raised his eyebrows; well, she definitely had her bending back, that's for sure.

He leapt out of the window after her, fire igniting at his heels to slow him carefully. The two embers lit up the sky for the briefest time, as Zuko landed safely beside Katara, who immediately, not wasting time, positioned herself behind him as he carefully lead them out to the Palace walls, dodging as many guards as they could. This proved to be difficult, since entire grounds were crawling with them.

But maybe, for once, Agni was on their side; they reached the wall, and Katara broke down a couple of bushes to make a block of ice, frozen against the wall's side. They stood upon it, and she rose them up rapidly. They crouched at the top of the wall, and Zuko set fire to one of the tree tops, alarming the guards so that the ones at the gate left their posts, giving them the opportunity to jump down, outside of the Palace walls, and run.

They took two ostrich horses, Katara's following Zuko's closely from behind.

* * *

They watched from the meeting room in the centre of the Palace, the large window overlooking the Palace, it's walls, and all that was around it. Ozai watched after Zuko and Katara as they fled, quickly disappearing out of sight, due to the camouflage of their black clothing. Ozai grinned; that malicious, sneering, frightening grin that was recorded through history, that was feared all over the world.

"When do you think they'll be back, father?" Azula asked, having inherited his grin. "I'd give it three days, tops."

"I agree, my child." he answered in his deep voice, golden eyes hardening. "I agree."

* * *

_**Katara; **_

_Maybe it's true that somewhere down the road, I became a little cynical, a little sardonic, a little misanthropic; or maybe a lot. Somewhere along the line, probably the second I heard Aang's final scream, the sweet, big blue eyed Katara fell into the shadows, never to be seen again. But I guess that sort of thing happens to everyone; we all learn at some point that the world isn't as it seems. It's sort of inevitable for this to hit you earlier, when you're born in the middle of war._

_But it died with Aang long ago. That much I'm sure of. _

_It was 10 days before the final battle with Ozai, and Aang had been calling us aside individually over the past few days; at first I thought it was nothing. A quick conversation with Sokka, a little heart to heart with Toph. But it wasn't that at all; I was so caught up in my training, anger for Ozai and caring for the rest of the group that I didn't even both noting these rather long conversations my friends were having with Aang. _

_He came and found me out by the Temple's side late one night; it was very unlike him, since he was usually out of it by the time the sun disappeared over the horizon. But, being a child of the moon, I was somewhat of an insomniac. I turned to him, averting my gaze away from the moon for the first night in years; he was smiling at me, but it wasn't the smile I was used to, not the smile I was familiar with. _

_He looked so...tangibly wise in his traditional monk uniform, his jawline a little sharper, his stature a little taller. He was growing up right before me, I felt like the proud, big sister as he stood beside me, even though I knew that's probably not what he would've wanted me to feel. I usually don't like sharing my time with the night sky's moon with anyone, but Aang was the exception. He always is. _

_Before I could question him as to why he was here, he held out his hand slowly, silencing me. _

_Monk Gyatso's necklace sat in his palm; the thick, beaded chain fell over the side of his hand, swaying in the thin, light breeze. _

_"I want you to have this," he said quietly, in this voice he only uses when he talks to me. "I didn't give Sokka or Toph anything, but...me and you, Katara...we've always understood each other a little better than everyone else, right?" _

_He said it softly, knowingly, like a gentle inside joke reserved only for the two of us. I frowned, and this frown only deepened as my mind started to sort through the information it already had; piecing it together like some bitter sweet puzzle I didn't want to complete. I started to scowl, borderline just gazing in horror at this necklace whilst my mind was practically spelling it out for me; by the time my eyes snapped to Aang's face in rage, he was having trouble keeping his gentle smile present. _

_"What the hell is this?" I spat, no louder than a whisper. My eyes dart to his grey ones and I'm already yelling. "Is this supposed to be some sort of goodbye?!"_

_Aang's smile fell. He averted his eyes momentarily, licking his lips. "Katara..." _

_"Is this some kind of joke?! Are you just doing this to hurt me or something?!" I bellowed, backing away a little._

_I could barely wake up every morning, look in the mirror and see the pendant on my neck again, reminding myself that this was the closest I would ever get to my mother again. I could never look at jewelry in the same way ever again, and I hated that; as the brown, beaded chain of Gyatso's necklace swung in the wind, with Aang's hand gestures, I knew I couldn't bare to wear another necklace for the rest of my life._

_"No! No, of course not!" Aang cried, stepping closer to me desperately. "Katara, I would never want to hurt you, you know that-"_

_"Then why are you giving this to me?!" I hissed into his face, which is quite close to me. I glance down at his hand, still half heartedly offering the necklace; I smell him, that smell of fresh air and mint leaves and pulling a stomach muscle laughing about things that weren't even funny. The smell of hope, of freedom, where nothing mattered much as long as you have your friends. "You love this necklace; it means everything to you."_

_For the first time since I met Aang, which was now a grand total of more than one year, I felt like the child; he looked at me with those earnest grey eyes of his, which I had seen so many times before, but never like this. His blue arrow tattoos reflected the moonlight, making him look much more like the adaptations drawn of him over the world as we had seen in travels. But that wasn't the Aang I knew. _

_"I can't promise anything, Katara," he said eventually, slowly, in his deepening voice. "I don't know what the Final Battle will bring, but I sure as hell know you can't keep on reviving me. I just want to make sure that the two things that I love most in this world will still carry on, regardless of what happens to me." _

_I could've slapped him; for saying such things, for bringing up the love I found so hard to return. "You're being ridiculous!" I snapped. "You're going to be fine, you'll live until you're 100 and die with everyone you love around you in peaceful slumber, I'll make sure of it! Don't go yapping on at me about not making it back, because it's _not_ an option, do you understand?!"_

_He smiled, small and sad and gentle and I hated that. "Katara..." _

_"You're not leaving me." I stated, and my voice was starting to crack. "They already took my mother. They are _not_ taking you." _

_At some point, he pulled me into his frail arms, staying quiet for a long time as I fight to keep my tears within my eyes. I failed, though; gripping onto the back of his uniform so hard that it was wrinkled beyond repair. There's nothing quite like a long hug from your best friend; and there's nothing quite like imagining what that hug would be like if you knew it was the last one. I didn't, at the time; and maybe that was a good thing. _

_"You can do it, Katara," Aang said into my ear gently. "You'll be okay. I'm not saying anything will happen, but...I just want you know that you're my best friend, and I love you. I love you so much more than that; more than everything, anything. When I think of the world I want to save, I think of you, and I don't feel afraid anymore. I'd gladly die for you a hundred times over." _

_My face crumpled into his shoulder and I was glad he couldn't see it. _

_"Never stop, Katara," Aang murmured, hugging me tighter. "Never stop for anyone. Not even me." _

_It took me a long, long time to actually understand what Aang even said to me that day; there were so many things he said to me in those few words, and I think I'll spend the majority of my life trying to figure it all out. We arrived to Kioshi in one piece, both of the Water Tribes somehow remaining intact and with no deaths or losses on the way; the people of Kioshi welcomed us with open arms, but from the looks of their red eyes and sullen faces, the news of Aang had already spread all over the world within those few days._

_For so long, I was unintentionally waiting around for Aang to come bombarding through the door, planting one of his awkward, surprise kisses on my cheek with a rosy blush. It sounds ridiculous, but there were some mornings when I would have to forcefully remind myself not make an extra bed, not to make an extra mug of tea, not to look for a pair of bright orange pants to mend, since there would undoubtedly be another hole in them._

_I'll never understand why it's always the good ones that are taken, the bad ones left to just keep on taking._

_But the truth is, billions of people died before my best friend, my little brother, my hero, Aang; and the truth is, billions of people will die long after him. But the world doesn't see them as billions; it just sees them as a long list of nameless faces, a long list of unluckiness, a long list that will never, ever have an end to it, a long list that Aang was now a part of, Avatar or not._

_But does the world stop for one of those people? Of course not. _

_So why should you? _

_Why should I? _

* * *

I also really want to highlight interpretation in this part of the story; where Zuko will do something nice for Katara, she immediately thinks that he's deceiving her, or doing whatever he's doing to harm her in some way or form. I know this doesn't really much, but I just think it's quite funny how different people perceive different things. But, to be honest, I don't blame her...Zuko was quite a dickhead in the past, wasn't he?

Oh well, he's a cutie now :)

I feel like the friendship side of Aang and Katara is mostly masked by his love for her; I really want to bring that back in this story, because I think that side of their relationship held so much more worth and meaning than Aang's (more or less) unrequited love for Katara. And, obviously, (being pretty much the biggest Zutara shipper to exist) I feel as though the romance side of those two was so flipping forced, it was cringe worthy.

I feel like their friendship is ruined; I really want to rebuild that in this fic.

Anyways, hope you liked it :) Leave a review!

- Yin


	7. Chapter 6

I'm having so much fun writing this story :) Whenever I find time, I love coming to it and adding stuff...so much planned for this fic, it's unreal! Hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I do creating and writing it.

- Yin

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER

* * *

**Chapter 6 **

Zuko had chosen ostrich horses simply because they were fasted, yet most reliable form of untraceable transport. They required little maintenance though, this also relied on how well they were treated by their owner. Zuko had a feeling that even though Katara was cold and heartless towards him, animals were a very different story; and he was right.

They took a small intermission after 4 hours of nonstop travelling, since the animals were growing tired; it didn't take long to leave the main city of the Fire Nation, since Zuko used a passageway of some sort. Thankfully, there were many large rocks that covered the huge space of open land, and they were, for some reason, lucky enough to find two that overlapped each other, and were able to seek shelter there.

Zuko peered at Katara out of the corner of his eye as he lit a small fire within a small pile of boulders with a few twigs. He swore under his breath, since he found that he couldn't light fires so expertly like he had done all those years ago. He had to angle it in a way so that the wind didn't blow it out, and this was a task that was much easier said than done. It was frustrating, since back in his travels, he could have lit fires in his sleep; but a lot of things changed. He glances at Katara silently, confused as he saw her.

Her mauve lips curved only slightly at the corners, like she was trying hide her affection for the two animals who gleefully drank from her water filled palm; there was a touch of softness in her face, a hint of compassion, empathy, words that Zuko would've never associated with her before that moment. Her almost non existent grin looked too unfamiliar and out of place on her sharp face; despite this, it didn't cease to make the world light up a little.

If Katara closed her eyes (but that would be a stupid thing to do, given the circumstances), she could imagine that these ostrich horses were Momo or Appa. She could pretend that she had just finished another long day of travelling with her friends, and that they were just about to go sleep peacefully, ready to get up tomorrow and live the same blissful life the next day all over again.

One of the ostrich horses snorted into her palm, since she had momentarily stopped petting them; she exhaled sharply, a half laugh as she continued to stroke the surprisingly gentle creature on the head. She could feel her cheeks lift in an inadvertent grin she couldn't quite control at that moment, but since she had her back to Zuko, she didn't mind. The ostrich horse pressed the side of his face closer to her palm, whilst the other fought for the attention of her other hand.

"Getting a little left out, huh?" she asked the other animal, smiling softly.

Zuko had never heard her speak so softly before; he didn't regard her quiet swearing under her breath to be quite the same. It was the strangest thing to be in the presence of; rumours always told of Master Katara's kind heart and unconditional empathy for total strangers. This wasn't the Katara he knew, not even in the slightest, but Zuko thought that maybe he deserved that; after all he and his family had done to her, he was lucky she hadn't sliced his head off already.

He could only see the side of her, and only just barely from the small glow of the tiny campfire, and the glow of the moonlight; her curly, long hair remained in it's high ponytail, swaying lightly in the gentle night breeze. It looked soft to touch, but Zuko didn't dare test the hypothesis; her full lips then fell from it's smile, and her expression changed back to normal, lost forever.

He cleared his throat, scratching his head as he stood nervously; Katara half turned abruptly.

She stared, as if waiting for him to attack (which she sort of was); Zuko licked his lips.

"We'd better get some sleep whilst the ostrich horses rest," he offered in his deep voice. He paused, watching her watch him; the moonlight bounced off of her pale blue eyes, and he could see the hint of a restricted frown. "You're going to need your strength for tomorrow."

He looked so damn well innocent, so nonchalant, so laid back; as if his father finding out about all this wouldn't end in certain death on his part or at least banishment all over again. She didn't quite take into account just how much taller he was than her, since the walls of his bedroom made everything seem smaller. Despite being less than 2 paces away from each other, he was still looking down at her; Katara's eyes narrowed, and she turned her attention back to the animals.

"Oh, don't you worry about my strength," she said in a low, slow voice. "I'm fine. Someone has to be a look out, anyway. I'll wake you just before dawn."

"You're joking, right?" Zuko replied, folding his arms. No sleep the night before fighting an ex general didn't seem like the best idea.

Katara snorted. It was like he was asking her to lie down gently so that he could throttle her to death. "Word of advice; try not to piss off waterbenders at night time. It's not pleasant," she paused, almost about to reveal that's how she had been functioning for weeks now. "If it helps, I promise I won't kill you whilst you're sleeping."

Zuko opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again, realizing that if he pressed the matter she may well just break her promise. He made do with using the dirt as a mattress and pillow, but it was safe to say that it was nothing compared to his bed back in the Palace. Then again, he hadn't slept in it for so long he barely even remembered what it felt like.

For some reason sleep alluded him tonight, tossing and turning so much Zuko was sure he was digging himself a quaint little ditch. Every time his eyes opened, he was welcomed with the thoughtful face of Katara staring at the fire between them, occasionally poking at it with another twig she had found. The ostrich horses slept closely beside each other, unlike Zuko and Katara, with their necks overlapping each other for warmth, fast asleep.

The moonlight peeked in through cracks of the huge, overlapping boulders, and Zuko was sure that he had been awake for hours now. Every so often, Katara would cough, or change sitting position, shuffling quietly, or sigh in what sounded like frustration and disappointment. It's not that these things kept Zuko awake; it's just that he couldn't help but notice them.

He was exhausted and fatigued and wasn't thinking straight; being a child of the sun made it hard to function normally at such an hour.

That was his excuse, at least.

"Tell me about her." Zuko said suddenly, slowly sitting up, brushing the dirt from his hair.

Katara jumped from surprise, his deep voice penetrating the wonderful silence she had created for herself; her icy blue eyes sprang alive under the light of the small fire and the moon, staring at him wide eyed and slightly confused for a brief moment. She swore quietly, since she had dropped her twig into the fire completely from the shock; her eyes flickered to him in confusion, and before either of them new it, she was frowning, like always.

"Tell me about your mother." Zuko said in a quiet voice, leaning back against the gigantic boulder behind him.

Katara blinked a couple of times, still staring; her dark pink lips parted a little in surprise. She licked them, pressing them together for a moment; it was a strange question, and it surely wouldn't get him anywhere in terms of gaining her trust or learning the whereabouts of the Water Tribes. So, in actuality, it was one of the rare questions Katara had an opportunity to answer truthfully; but whether she would or not was undecided.

It's not that Zuko wanted to make things awkward, or make himself out to be a nice guy; that ship sailed years ago. But, for once, he actually had an interest in something, despite it being such a touchy and random subject. Besides, he should know a least something about the woman that was to be avenged tomorrow, right? And hopefully, with enough talking, he would drift off to sleep like he usually did. And maybe could do so whilst remembering one of the millions of people that died at the hands of his family.

Katara watched him carefully; he leant back against the boulder, one leg resting on the floor with the other knee up, allowing him to rest his elbow upon it. She only just registered his black attire, the way it matched his ebony matted hair. Gold eyes almost intoxicated her, his scar staring back at her, reminding her that no one quite got out of this war unscathed; his jaw was lined with thin stubble, un-clenched and patient.

Her mother was long gone, and soon, Zuko would be too. What did she have to loose?

"She was funny," Katara said eventually, nodding in rememberence, looking down, the smallest smile apparent on her lips. "She always made us all laugh, even when we had no reason to. She was the best cook, and hated papaya, just like me; she was really clever, and was always laughing. She had a short temper, and would flip a shit every time me and my brother left our things all over the tent. She liked the smell of panda lillies, and had the softest hair _ever_. She had the prettiest smile imaginable and had the most beautiful singing voice."

Zuko found himself smiling; tiny and minuscule, like Katara's.

* * *

_****__**Time Passed Since Avatar Aang's Death: 11 days**_  


_Katara joined the rest of them in the meeting tent, and that meant that they were all here now; both the Water Tribes were quiet outside, still getting used to their tents, their housing, their ears popping, since they were so far under Kioshi, and that their Avatar had been dead for bordering on two weeks now. The people were quiet, and nobody blamed them, since they were quiet themselves._

_Katara filled the space that was vacated beside her brother, leaning against the pole of the tent with her arms folded; Sokka was to her left, Toph on her right, who was adjacent to Haru, then Smellerbee, Teo, Longshot, Chief Arnook, Yagoda, The White Lotus members, Iroh, Bumi, Jeong Jeong, Piandao and Pakku, who then circled right around to Katara again. Everyone else who was part of their team were still in the Boiling Rock; but that was the last thing on their minds._

_They were silent; someone had to ask the question._

_"So what now?" Sokka spoke flatly._

_Sokka always asked that question during their travels; usually after dinner, indicating he was still hungry. Or sometimes, it would be when they ran out of money, or if and when Appa ever got sick and couldn't travel, or when Aang would advise them to listen to the wind, or after the Day of Black Sun, when the first invasion had left them defeated and deflated. Katara hoped that that would be the last time she would ever hear those three words again, but it wasn't. _

_They had failed. Again. _

_And this time, they paid a horrible price. _

_Everyone glanced at each other, looking away just as quickly; not even the adults knew how to answer Sokka, as they half heartedly waited to hear the voice of a 13 year old airbender to lighten the mood with an inappropriately naive suggestion. But the air was still, and no voice came to their guidance; Katara's eyes fell, like they had fallen countless times over these past 11 days, running her thumb across the pendant of Monk Gyatso's necklace in her honey coloured hand behind her back._

_"Let's...start with what with gathering information," Chief Arnook tried. "Where's Ozai's search fleet at this moment?"_

_"Still scouring the Air Temples," Piandao spoke. "We think he's being unreasonably thorough, as he's spending an impressive amount of time in each one, probably looking for clues as to where we've taken the Tribes. Chances are he'll then hit the Earth Kingdom, and all the uncharted Islands around it, like this one." _

_"Both the North and South Poles have been totally decimated," Bumi pitched in. "It's a good thing we left so soon."_

_"What was left of the Earth Kingdom has become colonized, and is now part of the Fire Nation," Jeong Jeong added. "None of the islands have much time left; there aren't many places that exist now that haven't been taken by the Fire Nation." _

_Pakku clicked his tongue. "Ozai now reigns as Phoenix King, Ruler of the World." _

_There was a pause, a long one, because everyone knew what the last detail was, and was far too afraid to voice it, especially in front of Katara; silence filled the air again, engulfing them all as they stood around the sides of the tent glancing at each other from time to time, hearing the occasional squawk from Momo, who curled tighter around Toph's neck, rather unsettled, by a lot of things. _

_It hit Katara then, hearing Momo squawk again; where else could they run once Ozai found them?_

_She gripped Gyatso's necklace behind her. "So, who's going to kill him?." _

_They all looked at her quietly, trying to hide the look of surprise on their features. They had almost forgotten what Katara's voice sounded like, and it made a few of them wonder if they would ever hear it again. She was still leaning against the tent pole, her face looking flat and empty; she hadn't bothered braiding her hair, leaving it in a high ponytail; her clothes were wrinkled, her boots torn, her mother's necklace gone. _

_"That will take years, Miss Katara," Piandao said softly. "Avatar Krahyus is only 11 days old; suppose she goes into training at twelve years of age, masters all three elements by eighteen. Who knows how long it will be until she's ready to-" _

_"I don't mean in twenty years time," Katara cut off. "I mean now." _

_They all squinted at her. "Katara..." Toph spoke. "Only the Avatar can defeat the Phoenix King. Didn't you listen to Iroh on the day of the Final Battle? The world will just see it as more meaningless violence and-"_

_"So I guess letting Ozai exterminate the Water Tribes is the answer, then?" Katara snapped flatly. She turned to Iroh, to the White Lotus. "Face it; Ozai is making his way around the world far too fast. There is no way we can stay in hiding long enough for the new Avatar to grow strong enough to defeat Ozai herself, especially since she can't even learn airbending. We'll be dead by then, along with Krahyus, and you know it." _

_"It won't bring balance, Katara," Pakku tried gently. "And not only that, but only the Avatar is strong enough to even-"_

_"An Avatar with only three mastered elements? With her people dead? With nothing left but a colonized Earth Kingdom to fight for her, which is patrolled by the Fire Nation constantly?" Katara asked sharply. "If possible, she has far less of a chance than Aang did, and we all know how that story played out, don't we?"_

_Everyone went silent; she continued. _

_"She'll just be killed like the rest of us," Katara spoke slowly. "And then, a new Avatar will be born to the Earth Kingdom; Ozai will hunt him or her down and kill them and all the Earth Kingdom citizens and earthbenders in it's path. And then there will be nothing and no one but the Fire Nation, and the Fire Nation's Avatar that will have no one to support him or her in overthrowing it. And I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound very balanced to me at all."_

_No one said anything, as they started to understand; but this still didn't help, as it put them in an even more difficult position as it did previously. Iroh's brow creased as he thought, as he comprehended, sighing as he realized that they didn't really have any other choice; he glanced to Katara, who looked back with broken blue eyes, her jaw clenched, her sympathy long gone._

_"So who will do it, Miss Katara?" Iroh asked, watching her. She reminded him of someone, and he knew exactly who it was; Iroh didn't like to think about his nephew, but he couldn't help it. "Who do you think has the same amount of power as the Avatar in order to defeat him? Us? Me? ...You?"_

_Katara paused; she didn't expect that. She thought it would maybe be the White Lotus, the experienced elders, not her; she enclosed her fingers over the pendant of the necklace, feeling the grooves of the air symbol brush against her palm. She looked down, closing her eyes; she could feel his arms around her, if she tried. She could smell his light scent, if she focused. She could feel his cheek brush against hers if she attempted to. _

_But she was pulled back to earth, as she felt a familiar, large hand take her small one; Sokka looked at his sister sternly and worriedly at the same time, so terrified of her answer that she could see the sweat forming on his temple, his eyes glistening as he shook his head at her quickly. She watched him, his now sullen features; she glanced at Toph, her face screwed up, because judging from Katara's heart rate, she already knew the answer. _

_She looked around the room; everyone was watching her, their faces looking a little horrified, a little too shocked; they all wanted her to refuse, and she knew that. Her friends continued watching her with uncertainty and doubt, and she remembered their days of fun, of excitement, of joy, of determination; she knew what they all wanted her to say, but all she wanted was the opinion of one boy. _

_But he wasn't there. And the longer she waited, the more people she would loose. _

_Katara decided she didn't mind dying like that; she didn't mind dying so that no one else did._

_"Yeah." she said finally, straightening, gripping her brother's hand in one, the necklace in the other. "Yeah, me." _

_"Katara, you can't do this!" Sokka bellowed next to her, jerking her body painfully as he tugged her hand. She hadn't seen him this angry since her mother died, as she winced at the volume and rage in his voice. She looked at him apologetically, flinching at the pain in her hand as he gripped it. "This isn't your duty! You can't possibly think you would stand a chance against Ozai, even in the slighest!" _

_"You don't have to do this, Katara." Toph said quietly beside her. "You're not the Avatar. It's not your job to save the world, or to die for it." _

_But her mind was made up. And with Aang's voice in her ear, nothing would change that._

_"Let's not focus on making it out alive," Katara said slowly. She tried to smile at her friends, for the first time in days; it felt strange across her lips, but she knew she would have to get used to it. "Let's focus on bringing that son of a bitch down with me." _

_Even though it was too soon to laugh, they all did anyways._

* * *

I really wanted to emphasize how anyone could potentially do whatever they wanted in this fic, and empower the other characters that had such incredible potential but was never utilized properly simply because they 'were not the Avatar'. I think Katara is a great example of one of these people; she is so underrated it's ridiculous, her 'motherly' side just totally overpowers the rest of her physical bending ability.

As for the main chapter content, I dunno about you other Zutarians out there, but the Southern Raiders episode was one of my favourite episodes ever probably because it was the closest thing to on-screen Zutara we're ever gonna get!

Sorry for these late updates! Please bear with me!

Hope you enjoyed! Leave a review and share with others! :)

- Yin


	8. Chapter 7

And here is Chapter 7 - reviews would make me happy :)

- Yin

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER

* * *

**Chapter 7 **

The second the sun rose, they left, and didn't look back; the small intermission for the animals proved to work remarkably well in their favour. They moved faster, maneuvered through boulders and trees at an incredibly agile pace that neither of them expected. Zuko suspected that this may have been due to Katara's affectionate manner towards them; ostrich horses were known for their loyalty, after all.

It was hard to pay attention to where he were going, and not stare out into the sunset at his side. It was blinding and striking, yet, made it a little harder to concentrate; Zuko then realized the difference between being out with the sunrise, rather than let it seep through your bedroom window. Though, he thought that maybe this was due to his senses being a little more alert than normal, thanks to a frowning waterbender who followed closely on her own ostrich horse.

She couldn't stop picturing his face in her mind, the face of her mother's murderer; those ravaging gold eyes, slightly wrinkled skin, demonic smile that made her stomach swirl in dangerous anger. The last time she had been this physically angry, to the point where she was actually shaking up on her stead, was over three years ago. The familar pool of hatred and grief and sorrow and loathing filled her again, fueling her, driving her, empowering her in a way Zuko wasn't aware of.

Zuko couldn't help but think of his own mother through all of this; he had pushed her out of his mind so many times on purpose, he barely had a proper vision of her left in his brain. But it came back soon enough, and Zuko felt the nostalgic, burning pang in his heart that reminded him why he forced himself to forget all those years ago; her soothing voice, happy smile, her scent of fire lilies and lavender, her warm hugs, her light hearted sense of humour.

Zuko blinked, swallowing hard as he licked his lips under his mask, exhaling slowly; he hadn't felt like this in a long time. Or, at least, he hadn't let anyone in the same vicinity whilst harbouring such thoughts. Katara glanced at him, and she realized that her dislike for Zuko, which was rather powerful, was in no way anything compared what she felt for Yon Rha. She didn't falter, though; her frown settled onto her features again.

They kept low, and didn't say a word.

* * *

After a few hours of endless riding, Zuko saw it.

He slowed to a halt, Katara stopping close behind him. He waves a hand at her, issuing her to climb off of her ostrich horse with him. They tie the animals safely to a branch, hidden, Katara leaving some water for them that she drew from a nearby shrub. They run a little, quietly, in a low manner, taking refuge behind another huge boulder. They keep near to the ground, peeking over one side; her head is close to Zuko's, and she can smell him, his scent of burning wood and musk, distracting her for a fragment of a second, until she too saw it.

Some smoke in the distance; a few houses here and there, the noise of people faintly drifting towards them, though they were a good 5 miles away. Zuko glances at Katara, since her hair was brushing his jaw line as she hovered below him; he could see her pale blue eyes alive with the sight, then narrowing slowly at the realization. He was breathing her in unintentionally, watching her face harden and darken before he spoke.

"It's the outskirts of his village," Zuko said in his deep voice. "We should wait until the evening, when things start to die down a little, and the people become careless. Then, it's all you."

Katara remained silent, not moving. Her eyes barely blinked as she stared, big, icy blue eyes fixating on the quaint little scene. He was there, somewhere; the man that stole her mother from her. He was probably just starting to make lunch, or decided to pop out for a stroll around the village; maybe even get a few chores done as he lives his comfortable, quaint little life.

She glanced upwards; the clouds gathered, darkening.

"It's all me." Katara said in a quiet voice that only she could hear.

* * *

There was a lot of things that Zuko wasn't good at; and long list that to him, never seemed to end now matter what he did or didn't do. He wasn't a prodigy, like his sister, or a mastermind, like his father, or compassionate and sweet and loving and perfect, like his mother. He hadn't inherited many good things, and he knew all of this. He knew it like the back of his hand.

But, his biggest regret was timing; he never knew or learnt when he should, or shouldn't.

And this moment was not spared; Katara sat with her back against the large boulder they hid behind, her long, curly dark hair cascading over her shoulder from her ponytail. She lowered her mask so that it rested around her neck, like Zuko; she looked down with a blank expression, hovering a hand over a small tuft of grass as she manipulated it, pulling it one way, then another, and then ripping the water clean out of it. It died instantly, turning into a murky brown as it weeped downwards; she curled her fingers, pushing the water back into the deadened blades, reviving it momentarily, and repeated.

Zuko watched her uneasily; glancing between her blank face, and then to the patch of grass that was totally helpless under her caramel coloured hand, floating over it effortlessly. He had heard of waterbenders manipulating the water within moisture-filled things like plants or food, but he thought it was a myth or joke, some sort of rumour conjured up into scaring his father that a rebellion may arise. He licked his lips as he watched her at the corner of his eye beside her; she played around with the life, the energy, the entity like it was a few gold pieces rolling around between her fingers.

His timing couldn't have been worse, but Zuko didn't see that.

"I'm sorry." he blurted out quietly.

Her eyes snapped to him, hardening like he had just insulted her; and to Katara, he basically had. He was sorry? _Zuko _was sorry? If the circumstances hadn't been quite what they were, she would've thrown her head back to roar in laughter. She doubted he was even aware of what that word meant, let alone had any idea that it existed. She had half a mind of draining the water from the small patch of grass and stab his head with a blade of ice, but refrained, since she needed to get back to the Palace somehow.

"I'm...I'm sorry about your mother," Zuko continued after a pause, golden eyes holding onto her blue ones steadily, not letting go. "I know I have a lot of things to be sorry about, and I know you probably don't believe me...but if I'm gonna start anywhere, it should be where we can both relate."

Katara watched him carefully, staring at him a long time before blinking a couple of times, his words sinking in; she hadn't considered Zuko, and his past about his own mother. She remembered the time they spent under Ba Sing Se, the look on his face when he explained that his mother was gone, too. It was a look Katara had seen in her reflection, a certain touch of anger in said look that Sokka didn't posses.

Therefore, if anyone were to come close to understanding how she felt right now, it was Zuko (to her dismay).

Zuko didn't know whether he was waiting for a reply, or waiting for her to start throttling him; either way, he didn't let her pale eyes go, holding them with his golden ones like a magnet. Her dark pink lips closed from their slight parting, running her tongue across her bottom lip before actually _lookin__g _at him for the first time ever. They were silent, the wind blowing a strand of her hair gently in Zuko's direction.

"Thanks." she said quietly, looking away, and Zuko wondered whether he'd heard her right.

The thunder boomed above them like a threat, a grey-ish hue covering the atmosphere as the day descended. A few spots of rain hit their faces that looked up intently at the clouds, making them face each other again. There was this tiny second in all of that when none of it existed; when it was just a rainy day on travels, Aang laughing with Momo, Toph snoring in the corner, Sokka complaining about being hungry. Their eyes drop and meet each other.

"You ready?" Zuko asked as they stood.

She had been for years, but she just nodded.

They ran towards the town, lightening flashing above them in anticipation.

* * *

They hid behind a shrub once they had located his house; they decided to attack a few meters away, since they didn't want to cause a massive hubbub around the houses. A plain road lay in front of them, waiting; the sky became a dark grey colour, but the rain withheld itself from falling just yet. Every so often, the wind moaned, making their hair and shrub sway impatiently.

Zuko fidgeted awkwardly, his legs aching more than they had done in years. They had been crouching their for almost two hours, and Zuko didn't have the luxury of zoning out and thinking about his revenge like Katara could. His shuffling made him loose balance, and he leaned against Katara unintentionally, his broad shoulders pressing against her petite ones.

Katara didn't even register this until she could feel Zuko's scent fill her nostrils again, distracting her momentarily; just as she was about to look at him, acknowledge him, she heard footsteps, and her heart soared whilst her body froze. Not many people had come and gone, but Katara hoped that maybe luck chose her today, instead of someone else.

She heard yelling; an elderly man screaming back at his even elderly mother. Something about food being inedible; but it didn't matter. The footsteps approached, and her entire body tensed unbelievably, more than they had done in a long time. It could well be another stranger, another random citizen, and it probably was; but not today. Not at that hour. Not with the thunder rumbling above them, the lightening temporarily highlighting the evening just for her.

A head bobbed up over the corner; Katara froze, and couldn't even blink, let alone breath. Grey hair, sullen looking face like he was always grumpy; wrinkled, tired, tanned skin. Thin lips that frowned at the weather, scoffing at how unpredictable the climate was becoming. Tall stature, strong build; beady, golden eyes that made Katara's heart dance in anger, her stomach swirl in loathing, her eyes harden in hatred.

"Is it him?" Zuko breathed, glancing at her. From the look on her face, he didn't need a reply.

They waited for him to pass, and Katara's hands itched to pierce into his throat with a shard of ice, being at such a close vicinity; they moved position, try to get a better angle to ambush. The rain started to pelt harder down on them, and Katara thrived; Yon Rha paused on occasions, turning to the shuffling that happened in the corner of his ears.

A general never really dies, both Zuko and Katara new, as they moved to a new boulder; her blood started to boil, her teeth grinding together at the sight of him walking about, living his happy little life whilst her mother's body continued to rot under the earth snow of the Southern Tribe. The massive hole she left took so long to fill, and there was still a tiny fragment that remained empty; and as far as Katara was concerned, it would disappear with his death at her hands.

There were a few moments when her shaking body almost lost control, when she couldn't hold it in any longer from the fury of over nine years envelopng her; Zuko grabbed her hand, shaking his head violently. His hands were surprisingly soft, and wonderfully warm against her frozen fingers; he gripped as if to physically hold her back, his golden eyes pleading with her to detain herself for a few more moments.

Yon Rha then stopped walking altogether; and suddenly, he faced their boulder, took a stance, and the rest was history.

They jumped, and Zuko stepped in front of her, blocking the attacks easily with the flex of his muscled arms, a swing of his legs expertly; Yon Rha didn't relent, spewing as many attacks as his body could manage at the Prince, to which he reflected effortlessly. Katara blinked at Zuko momentarily; she didn't expected him to defend her, to fight for her, to protect her in such a way. Not like this; not ever.

"No one sneaks up on me without getting burned!" he cried; the roaring, orange flames flew to them.

Katara raged silently, stepping forward.

"Is that so?" she hissed, her nose crinkling from her menacing snarl.

She stepped in front of Zuko at a lightening speed, just before the ex-general's attack could reach him; cocking her wrist up, she pulled easily on the rain, quite literally. It surged to her command so quickly that Zuko was sent reeling backwards; steam erupted as it cancelled out the fire, but before it could rise, Katara curved her body and raised her elbows, swooping it away and to Yon Rha, transforming into a powerful wave of water, sending him flying.

His body rolled and hit and the ground painfully, landing with a hollow thud; Zuko thought that might have been it, since he didn't move for a few seconds. But Katara intentionally kept him alive, just for her pleasure. She used a nearby puddle or two to make its way between his stomach and the ground, pushing his body up sharply, excruciatingly, revealing his new cuts and scrapes from the dreadful tumble.

Zuko ran to catch up, pushing a little fire to his feet since they were over five meters away; Katara was already there, not even needing to move her body as the water held him up in a keeling position whilst she glared down at him. He was barely conscious from the fall, but the rain helped her out with that; he whimpered, spluttering just as she advanced to him.

"Do you know who I am?" she said quietly, menacingly. She looked him in the eye. "Do you know what you've done?"

Yon Rha frowned, squinting as he looked closer into her face; Zuko watched from an angle, as the water droplets held the old man's wrists up in the air so that he couldn't try anything, not that he had any energy left to. He looked at Katara as they waited for an answer; she looked frightening, he face hardened like that, but he could tell that she was pressing the tears back into her eyes through waterbending, since it made her eye rims red.

"Well?!" she hissed sharply, gritting her teeth.

"Th-The...The little Water Tribe girl..." he said slowly, eventually. His eyes widened as he remembered, as he pieced together why it was that he was here, being attacked by a brutal waterbender. "You...You're m-mother...she was a waterbender, like y-"

"No, she wasn't, you imbecile," she spat. "She lied. She lied to you about being the waterbender. She did it to save me, the _real_ waterbender!"

He fumbled, using whatever left of his energy to squirm in his water bindings. "I-I'm sorry! Please, let me go! I didn't-"

"Too late." Katara whispered sharply.

Immediately, the rain halted; Zuko looked up with a confused squint, his eyes widening. A water-dome covered them within a mile radius, and Katara was barely holding up one of her hands properly. He could hear the rain hitting the ground faintly, past the dome Katara had created; he looked to her, her eyes glistening, Yon Rha watching in awe and desperation at what Katara had composed about their heads.

She moved her arms so quickly, Zuko missed it; the droplets from the dome turned to ice shards, pointing to the old man, before hurtling at him at a breakneck pace that had no intention of being stopped; and it didn't. Zuko heard a cry that was cut off, and looked away, since the sound of the spikes piercing through Yon Rha's flesh multiple times was more than enough, let alone having to view it.

He tried to avoid looking at the corpse, his golden eyes heading straight for Katara; she had no idea why she was panting, since she was hardly physically challenged. She could feel her eyes pricking as the rain hit her again, thunder rumbling above her once more; lightening flashed over the bloodied body in front of her, making her turn away as her vision dropped to the ground.

She was waiting for the relief to fill her, the joy to creep up onto her face through a smile; she had finally killed him, finally put herself at rest after all those years of wondering where he was, what he was doing, how she could kill him. She wiped her cheek roughly, since it was slightly splattered with his dark crimson blood. Her eyes started to hurt, since pushing tears back into the eyes was not recommended.

But he was dead, and order was restored, and the world was rid of him, and no one else had to suffer at his hand ever again.

So why did she feel like this?

"Are you okay?" Zuko asked in his low voice quietly.

She could feel him standing behind her, and in the strangest way, his voice was actually comforting; she turned, and he saw the whites of her eyes reddening rapidly. She was blinking a lot, pressing her full, mauve lips together in attempt to stop her heart from escaping through a whimper. She looked away, because she honestly didn't know the answer; he stepped closer to her, trying to catch her eyes, but she wouldn't let him.

"Do you feel any better?" he asked, which came out as a soft whispered.

Her body was still shaking, because the anger was still there; she hadn't really changed from how she was five minutes ago, when Yon Rha's heart was still beating on this earth. It didn't take her long to figure out why; because even with the former general dead and bloodied and battered behind her, even though he would never hurt anyone again, her mother was still dead.

Killing him did not bring her back.

"No." she murmured flatly. She still didn't look at him.

Zuko didn't know what was wrong with him at that second, since he definitely wasn't a people person; but for the first time in his life, he got the timing right, even if it was with the wrong person. He closed the space between them hesitantly, wrapping his arms around Katara's lower back cautiously; the top of her head reached his collarbone, and he could smell her hair, feel her body shaking against him, and he didn't know what the hell was wrong with him, or what on earth had possessed him to do such a thing; yet, he didn't let go.

She should've sliced his chest, bit his neck, or at least punched him across the face; but for some bewitching, totally irrational and illogical reason, she didn't. She didn't respond to his awkward embrace, but she let him have it all the same; she barely even registered what was happening, anyway, since her mind was too empty to feel anything other than the rain hitting them apologetically, or Zuko's warm, broad chest pressing against her face.

"I'm sorry, Katara."

It was the first time she had ever heard him say her name before; he had refrained from doing so previously because he honestly just thought that he didn't have the right to, which he didn't. It startled her a little, the way the syllables rolled off of his tongue in his deep, raspy voice, yet somehow sounding rather soft and fresh, like a early bloomed panda lilly in the Spring. It felt like he had been saying her name for a long time; like it was all he had been saying.

One thought troubled her, though, distracting her from the Prince of the Fire Nation that held her uneasily.

Killing Yon Rha didn't change anything.

So, how would killing Ozai?

* * *

_**Katara;**_

_There's this ice statue in the Northern Tribe, right in the center of the village. It's of a Tribal leader from decades ago that I don't even remember the name of, but everyone adores it. They encourage the children to play around it, pray to it each day. The waterbending students clean it and shine it weekly as part of community service, but really, it's considered an honour to be able to do so. _

_And why do they do such things for a lump of ice?_

_Legend tells that it's lucky; and if you're around it enough, this luck could rub off on you._

_Luck. It's a funny word, isn't it? For most people, it means Agni favoured you today; it means that maybe that piece of bread that you gave to the homeless woman last week finally came back to you. It means that your grandmother made too many sugar buns, and you can have one more before dinner; it means that for some reason, whatever it may be, you had a slight edge on this day, as opposed to any other. __It means that you were spared from the wrath of the Fire Nation, but your mother was not. _

_Luck can be interpreted in many, many different ways; so here's mine. _

_Luck means that maybe you can prolong this little boy's infected leg a few more weeks, but that's it. Luck means you didn't soak Aang's bright orange shirt in tears today, but you definitely will tomorrow. Luck means you might have heard a chuckle from Sokka this lunch time, but you won't hear it again. Luck is not biased, prejudiced or conditional. It doesn't care who you are, where you come from, whether you're old or young, copper skinned or white, boy or girl, man or woman, powerful or weak, rich or poor, healthy or ill, happy or sad, kind or far from it._

_Luck means that for some reason, the most probable event has not taken place today._

_But who says it won't happen tomorrow, or the day after, or a year from now? Who says that it couldn't be you next week, having your family killed before you, your village burnt to a crisp, your best friend screaming out your name for the last time, your sanity stolen from you, everything you loved taken like a few gold pieces, the smell of your mother on her clothes fade away, lost forever, along with what you still remember of her?_

_Just because you don't die today does in no way mean that you have won; and if there's one thing that my mother taught me, it's that the good people don't last long. Therefore, don't take waking up every morning as a victory; believe me when I say it's just a little luck that stumbled it's way to you that morning and nothing else. Don't take kissing your friends goodnight as a triumph, because it isn't. _

_The real triumph? _

_Laugh. Sing. Dance, and cry only at beautiful things like sunrises and newborns and seeing your brother smile for the first time in years. Train so hard, for so long that you're quite certain that the spirit in your heart is going to corrupt you and take over you at any given minute. Tell your friends you love them, and mean it; hold their hands and talk about your best friend, Aang, and how he hated the sea prunes you loved and did the best impression of Momo imaginable. _

_You want to get back at Ozai, at his empire, at the people who took everything from you?_

_Live. _

_And I promise you, no revenge will ever taste sweeter. _

* * *

I think that Katara's feelings to Yon Rha were sort of downgraded due to the fact that ATLOA was made for kids. I tried to recreate it in the sense that I don't want the scene to come off as crazily gory or anything, but just a realistic depiction of what would've happened if Katara (and the audience) would have been a little older. This part, and how she felt afterwards, is actually very key in the story - remember it!

I kept her water-dome thingy in there, since looking over that episode, the ice things seemed like a very 'Katara' way to die. I made her a bit brutal in that scene, too, but that was intended. I want to stress the fact that she isn't a lenient, pubescent little girl anymore. If she is to be powerful, she has to be a little ruthless this time. I am so _sick _of a whiny Katara, aren't you?!

As for the segments at the end, if you hadn't noticed, it switches from Katara POV to what actually happened after Aang died, which is for illustrating how the new plan came about and what it actually is. Everything is moving quite slowly at the moment - don't worry, from the next chapter onwards, it gets pretty crazy! And I'm very very excited to write it! :)

Please tell me what you think, and tune in next time! :)

- Yin

P.S. Next chapter won't be 'till after Christmas-ish...please bear with me, like the lovely people you are :)


	9. Chapter 8

I have a very difficult, very real, very challenging science exam coming up. I'm in denial, therefore, I'm here, writing some Zutara...sort of :)

- Yin

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER

* * *

**Chapter 8 **

They fed the ostrich horses in total silence, the rain hitting the ground around them lightly; Katara held it up and away from them without even moving her body, much to Zuko's surprise. He kept licking his lips in nervousness, scratching the back of his neck in anticipation; he couldn't make out the moon from the thick clouds filled with rain, but he knew it was well into the night. It was now or never.

"We shouldn't linger around here like this," Katara said, glancing back at the village. "Agni knows how long it will take for someone to find his body, but we sure as hell shouldn't be here to find out."

Zuko didn't say anything, only letting his golden eyes skitter over to her for a second. He sighed, accepting the fact that he was probably the worst Fire Nation Price in history, as he turned to her, his broad body towering over her as he laid a hand on his stead, golden eyes watching her. Katara frowned in confusion at him, blue eyes never leaving his broad form before he stepped over to her, engulfing her with calm eyes.

"Go," Zuko said quietly. "Go be with your Tribe, wherever they are."

Katara froze instantly, blinking in astonishment as her mind raced; he was letting her go. He was letting her _go_; half of the Palace was probably on fire at this very moment and the Prince of said Palace was just letting her go, most likely, without his father's orders. Katara pressed her lips together, since, in Zuko's eyes, there really was no reason for her to stay and return to the Palace to be executed in a matter of months.

"What do you mean?" she hissed quietly in confusion.

Zuko shrugged. "I'll just tell my father when he gets back that you escaped whilst I was sleeping or something. It's okay, I promise I won't rat you out or anything; and I actually mean it, not that you'd believe me or anything..."

"Ozai would go insane at you for 'letting' me escape," Katara said seriously. "He's been hunting me for years! He won't let you go unpunished for this-"

"I'm sure I can handle the consequences," Zuko assured firmly. He gestured to the scarred side of his face. "It can't be as bad as last time."

Katara's eyes narrowed. "He could kill you."

He shrugged again. "He can bend lightening, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt for long-"

"Why are you _doing _this?!" Katara spat quietly, and honestly. She paused. "Why are you doing this for _me_?!"

She tried to wrap her head around why he would openly put himself in a position that meant certain death, and for _her_, his arch enemy; she tried to look for any physical ticks that might give him away, might imply that he was lying or hiding something. But his body was as solid as a rock as he towered over her, running a hand through his thick, ebony hair until it fell back over his eyes again.

Zuko shook his head, sighing, looking away. "I can't watch someone else die. Not again," She swallowed, letting him continue. "I'd rather die saving someone than sitting on my thrown, beside my father. Too much has been lost, and who knows, maybe if I let you go, you, your friends and my Uncle can bring it all back one day."

Katara had to force her mouth to speak. "I'm not leaving," she said firmly. "I'm going back to the Palace with you, whether you like it or not."

Now Zuko was the one to narrow his eyes. "So you'd rather die? In the Fire Nation, at the hands of my father?"

Katara folded her arms. "The world needs something to be angry about, and I guess Aang's death wasn't enough," she spoke steadily. "Who knows, maybe if the world sees me die, too, it will cause a nice little uproar that'll give your father a run for his money. Besides, the world already has a new Avatar. I'm not really of much use, now am I?"

"You'll be humiliated," Zuko said with a frown. "And much more so than you already have been. And don't think your execution will be painless, because believe me when I say it won't be- "

"I know," Katara said sternly. "But it's not about me. It's about the people that's left. And if my death is what it takes for people to care enough to fight for their own nations, then so be it. It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make-"

"It's a _stupid _sacrifice!" Zuko cried indignantly. "You're all anybody else has! Rumours about you and the White Lotus is all there is to keep the world hoping that this damn war will end! Without that, they'll have nothing-"

"And what on earth does any of that have to do with _you_?" Katara said quietly, her words steady and stern. Zuko blinked, studying her face as his brain processing what she was saying as her icy blue eyes enveloped him in their intense tranquility.

"I-It doesn't," Zuko stammered, blinking. He wasn't sure what the truth was, but made up a lie anyway."But if anything were to happen to Azula, I inherit the Fire Nation. My destiny is as my ancestors'; to lead and colonize and monopolize the world. Your death will just upset my potential Empire and-"

"But who says it has to be you to deal with it?" Katara asked quietly, edging closer. "Maybe you should consider that you are not your father, nor your sister, or your ancestors, like Azulon. If you care about the hope of the people as much as you make out, maybe you should ask yourself what you really want, who you _really_ want to stand beside, and what decision you _should_ have made in Ba Sine Se two years ago."

Zuko frowned as he pushed away the inner guilt, even scowled as his lips parted in confusion. "What are you saying?"

Katara shrugged, turning to her ostrich horse. "That maybe you should decide your _own_ destiny, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation."

He didn't argue with her, mostly because he didn't have anything to say; if she didn't want to die, that wasn't his problem. He had given an alternative, afterall. It was the first time he had ever heard her say his name before, in her steady voice that rolled out the syllables like she'd been saying his name all her life (which she probably had, amidst some cursing over the years).

He didn't say anything at all as they rode back on the ostrich horses, nothing at all as the wind groaned through the night.

* * *

The sun had almost disappeared against the horizon two days later, when the Palace could just be seen through the brilliant violets and oranges. However, the midnight blue above was creeping its way in, stars peeking through the mists above to have a look, as Zuko and Katara rode across the open plain of land. The humidity started to die down, and brisk chill was something Zuko was not accustomed to quite yet; Katara thrived in it.

She could feel her chest tighten as they approached the Palace, Zuko signalling with his hands to enter through the back way as to not alert the guards Katara was quite sure had been slain already; there was this twitch, right at the back of her brain that was starting to bother her, just as she and Zuko released their ostrich horses in the general direction of the stables.

It was probably because everything was so damn quiet; nothing on fire, no one screaming, the Palace still in one, complete piece. It unsettled her a little, small doubts boring into her mind as Zuko lead them through the very back of the castle-like structure, up some stone stairs. Her pale blue eyes darted around them through reflex; no guards, no firebenders, no friends. She grinded her teeth together.

Zuko paused at the doorway they approached, frowning as he pressed his ear against it; he couldn't hear much. Actually, he couldn't hear anything at all; not even the maids chatting, or the guards jeering, or the skittering laughter of the firebending soldiers as they threw around some blasts for fun. Something was very wrong here, his gut warning him that things weren't quite right.

"Come here," Zuko breathed, barely even a whisper as his deep, raspy voice travelled through the chilled air. He gestured his hand and Katara frowned before following, since she didn't really have another option. He had a loose grip on her wrist, almost gentle as he pulled her body to brush against the back of his shoulder. "Stay close to me, at all times."

Some part of her was actually amused by this, amused at how he was totally oblivious to his demise that would occur in a matter of minutes; and then this strange guilt welled up inside of her, and she scowled at it. She had forgotten what guilt felt like, and remembered how unpleasant it was; it didn't matter though, because Zuko had to die today, one way or another.

They crept through the deserted hallways, the lamp shades only lit partially, like they were walking through their very own horror scroll. They were both tense and alarmed for totally different reasons as they padded through, eyes skirting around for any sign of human life at all.

"I've never been in this wing of the Palace before..." Zuko whispered. "Let's try and find the Grand Hall. We should be able to get back to my room from there."

Katara drew in a breath; the Grand Hall. The very hall where she was thrown in Zuko's direction like a piece of meat, just over a month ago. It all came down to this, to these few moments, and the fact that she knew she was ready only made that little voice in the back of her head louder and louder. It was the merciful part of her; the part that wanted to throw compassion and understanding in everyone's direction regardless of whether they deserved it or not. She pushed it aside, again, for what felt like the thousandth time that day.

But the voice controlled her for a split second, wanting to scream to Zuko to run and run, and then, to just keep on running.

"Wait-" Katara started weakly, but she was glad she was interrupted.

They could hear the running of footsteps in the corridor attached to the end of theirs, but they didn't have time to build up the apprehension as Haru skidded to a halt as he burst into their vision, his simple brown clothing splattered with dark red blood all up his left side, and also trailing from his mouth and nose slightly, sticking to his mahogany coloured hair as he whipped back around to face behind him again.

He grunted as he lept into the air, twiling fluidly, rapidly, as his leg swung out; about a hundred small, compact pebbles came shooting out of the large pouch slung across his back, flying behind him to the herd of guards that sprinted after him. They didn't even come in Zuko and Katara's view as they screamed out in terror, the squelching of the pebbles passing through their bodies being heard just before their dead bodies hit the ground in hollow thuds.

Haru pressed his back against the wall behind him as he watched the guards fall, one by one; he was panting terribly, wheezing, even, as his head lolled back against the wall, fighting to keep his body up and awake. His hair stuck to his face in a mixture of sweat and blood, and Katara knew from her knowledge as a healer that he was well over his limit; it took a full 4 seconds for him to register the two, standing there around a yard away from, and that was how Katara knew he was fatigued beyond all compare.

"Katara!" Haru cried out weakly, in happiness, joy and total terror. "

"What?" Zuko hissed, whipping round to face her. "You know hi-?!"

He didn't have time to finish, or even turn to face her properly, for that matter; a thin, vine of water wrapped around his waist in an instant, lifting his body up effortlessly before slamming him hard into the wall adjacent to Katara, the thud resonating through the dimly lit walls. The wall cracked numerous times, chipping also, as she pulled his body free of it, revealing his bloodied nose as his head sagged backwards, completely unconscious. She dropped his body to the floor and it hit the carpet with a smack as she ran to Haru.

She supported his wheezing body, settling him onto the floor before hissing at his wounds, extracting water from the air and their own sweat.

"Fuckin' Agni, Haru," she hissed, the blue light flickering in the dim hallway. "What the fucking hell happened to you?! I was only gone a few days! I thought you sent for some of the waterbenders of the Tribe for backup!"

"We did; but 50 waterbenders are nothing compared to you, Katara," Haru rasped weakly, exhaling as he felt the water soothe his aching bones. He fought to keep his mind awake, breathing in Katara's hair that fell over her shoulder, brushing against his blood spattered face, reminding him. "You have to get out of here. Now."

She squinted in confusion, withdrawing the water as she helped him sit up. "What are you talking about?! You're delirious-"

"He never left, Katara!" Haru spat through gritted teeth, clutching her forearms. "Ozai and Azula are here! They were fucking waiting for us this entire time! We were sitting turtle-ducks from the very beggining!"

She opened her mouth, but no words came out; icy blue eyes shook frantically. "Th-That can't be! What happened to the others?! To the waterbenders, to Smellerbee, The Duke and Longshot?!"

"Longshot got hit pretty bad in the leg, but he's okay; he's with Smellerbee and The Duke; they made it out through Appa - that's how the waterbenders got here," Haru explained, struggling to stand up. He looked at her with his forest green eyes, pressing his lips together. "Over half of the waterebenders are dead, Katara. Ozai and Azula dominate the Grand Hall and the waterbenders that were sent there were killed almost instantly - the others are in the Palace, somewhere. Some of the wounded went with Smellerbee, The Duke and Longshot."

Katara swallowed, standing straighter. "Where's the Grand Hall?"

Haru blinked with frustration and confusion. "A-Are you serious?! Katara, you have to leave and go back to Kioshi! If you die, we have nothing-"

"Are you saying we had anything at all once Aang died?!" Katara asked frantically. She shook her head. "You're all going to need a distraction in order to get out of here; if I can hold off Ozai and Azula, then maybe you'd stand a chance of seeing Krahyus turn three-"

"Katara, don't do this," Haru warned, his hands pressing against her shoulders as he looked down at her with worried, emerald eyes. "The plan wasn't to defeat Ozai, here, today! And there's no way you can hold off him and Azula for too long-"

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body to his. "I have to do this, Haru," she whispered into his chest, pulling away to look up at him again. "I have to see this through to end one way or another, right? I guess this just had to happen sooner rather than later-"

"I can't face Sokka or your father or _anyone_ back home with the news that you're dead, Katara!" he said into her face.

She smiled. "I had to die sometime or another, right? We've always known that since we began all this," she shrugged, kissing his chin, since that was the farthest she could reach without standing on her toes. "I have to do this. You know I do. Take the Tribe and go quickly, and protect my people, Haru."

He sighed, shaking his head, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Along the corridor, down the stairs, two rights, four lefts, down 3 flights of stairs and on your right is the Grand Hall. If you hit the kitchens, which are pretty much on fire, you've gone too far. You're as stubborn as an oxe-rhino, you know that?!"

She smiled, about to leave, but Hary gestured to Zuko's body. "What about him? Aren't you gonna finish him off?"

She watched his limp form closely, but then averted her eyes suddenly. "He won't be up for a while; besides, once this blows over, he'll be as good as dead for taking me out to kill Yon Rha, anyway. Ozai won't go easy on him."

Haru scoffed. "Who knows; that prick might beat us to the Spirit World."

She chuckled, hugging him again quickly. They both then turned on their heel; Haru dashing off past Zuko to recruit the leftover waterbenders, and Katara racing through the hallways Haru had just come by, dodging the guards on her way to try and save all of her water and energy. Zuko lay forgotten on the carpet, his limp body aching and bruised and battered, his bloodied face still and pristine as lay in total stillness for long while.

Then, he flinched.

* * *

_**Time Passed Since Avatar Aang's Death; 16 Days**_

_Katara sighed yet again, twirling Monk Giatso's pendant in her hand under the table; Sokka lent his face against his hand, eyes flopping lazily, whilst Toph twisted some pebbles in her palms yawning. It took a while for the adults to stop Piandao and Pakku's bickering over the previous efforts to come up with a plan (which had so far, failed). They all leaned back against their chairs, sighing, their minds buzzing as they tried to conjure together ideas, a technique, anything worth using. _

_The elders and young benders had been sitting there for hours, pacing the room, bickering, sitting in complete silence at one point, as they tried to get some ideas going as to how they were going to provide Katara with the opportunity to kill Ozai. It was a difficult task in itself, and it didn't help that the odds were not in their favour; many others of their team were imprisoned in the Boiling Rock, and it looked like they would be there for a while; which made them all much more desperate. _

_"Well, we know that Ozai draws most of his power from his oppression against the colonies," Toph tried, resting her hands at the back of her head. "We just need to strip that from him somehow. No colonies means no Empire, which means no control for the Phoenix prick." _

_"We can't just snatch them back from under his nose," Sokka countered. "Think, guys. Who controls the colonies; those generals in the Earth Kingdom must be taking orders from somewhere." _

_"Which leads us back to the main man himself," Bumi sighed, running a hand through his silver hair, frowning. "Ozai keeps a very close eyes on the Earth Kingdom, now that Ba Sing Se has been corrupted. Every order comes from within the Palace, and there's no way in hell we can get ourselves in there." _

_"It would take us years to go to each of the colonies and have them rebel, let alone taking into account how long it would take to succeed in rioting some rebellions amongst all this fear," Iroh weighed in calmly. "It's a great idea, Master Sokka, but not-" _

_"Wait a second," Katara said slowly, sitting up. "Go back to the Palace idea." _

_The elders frowned. "An assault against the Palace?" Jeong Jeong questioned with a scowl. "Katara, I know you like to aim high, but we are in no way equipped to go through with such an attack; we have hardly any men, money, food-" _

_"Not to mention the guards that surround the Palace, or even sneaking through the Fire Nation borders itself," Piandao added. "That's not even taking into account Azula, Zuko and Ozai-" _

_"Who _live _there, by the way!" Toph exclaimed. _

_Katara rolled her eyes. "I'm not saying we walk right in!" she snapped. She leaned back a little, opening her mouth to start speaking, but deciding against it; it was a risky idea, to say the least, but with Aang's grey eyes gleaming at her in her mind, she lost her ability to doubt. "What if...I were to be summoned on purpose." _

_Iroh's eyes narrowed. "I'm not following, Miss Katara." _

_She clicked her tongue. "What if I were to be, oh, I don't know...'accidently' captured?" Katara offered slowly. "Ozai wouldn't pass up on an opportunity like that, right? It's a first class ticket into the Palace, minus breaching the borders and the guards and foresaking whatever army we have left." _

_"A ploy," Pakku nodded slowly. "That could actually work!" _

_"Wait a second," Bumi weighed in curtly. "Say if you do get in, Katara, and are locked up in their dungeons. What then? You can't possibly take out the entire Palace on your own; I don't doubt your ability, child, but you're still just one person-" _

_"Not to mention Zuko and Azula," Sokka added sternly. "I know they're small fry, but two against one isn't good odds. Especially with Daddy-o, looming in the background..." _

_"She can have back ups," Jeong Jeong cut in quickly, excitement spreading through the room. "Let's face it, Ozai won't just kill her on the spot; he'll milk it out, proclaiming there's no hope left, that's there's no point in rebelling. Broadcasting the fact that Katara is his captive is a great way to secure his Empire." _

_"Woah, woah, woah! We _just _elaborated it'd be murder trying to breach the Fire Nation borders!" Piandao exclaimed._

_"Yeah, for an entire army," Bumi pitched with a grin. "For a few Fire Nation 'guards', it will be a piece of cake! A couple of the kids could play dress up!" _

_"It won't work," Iroh frowned. "It's a legitimate plan, but we're gonna have to find a way to get Ozai out of the Palace before Miss Katara and her squad can start to infiltrate properly." _

_"The Boiling Rock!" Toph exclaimed. "Isn't it the biggest, most successful prison in the entire world? Whilst Katara is in the Palace, the rest of us can bust out the oldies! Ozai couldn't turn a blind eye to that one, could he? It's a matter that needs to be addressed by Lord Phoenix prick himself!"_

_"Suki..." Sokka murmured, eyes alert and alive. Toph's ears perked up at this, and she fell back against her chair. _

_"Of course..." Pakku grinned. "The travel there and back should be enough for Katara to overthrow the Palace; and then, Ozai will have nothing to come back to! Not to mention that it would make taking out Zuko and Azula far easier!" _

_"And if the Palace goes down, then so do the colonies!" Jeong Jeong exclaimed. "By Agni, this could actually work..."_

_Silence followed, as they prepared themselves to do this all over again, realizing that the Spirits had actually granted them a second chance, for Agni knows what reason. They all looked at each other, already trying to find little holes in their plan to try and patch up, waiting for someone to take the first step, in that matter. Momo squawked on Toph's shoulders loudly, before curling up around her neck, waiting; Iroh stood. _

_"Try and find anything wrong with the plan we've got; remember, this only gives us the colonies, not Ozai himself. That will be a totally different Pai Sho game altogether," Iroh said in his calming voice, golden eyes gleaming as they fell to Katara's petite frame, seeing the bandages still wrapped around her neck and entire back. "Katara, come with me." _

_She blinked as she stood in confusion. "Where are we going?" _

_Iroh offered a paternal grin as he glanced back at her. "To start your training, child." _

* * *

So I hope the final segment cleared up any issues regarding the plan; hopefully all of Haru, Katara and Longshot's jibber jabber from the previous chapters will start to make more sense now. If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to message me (addressed to Yin) - I'm more than happy to clear any doubts or queries!

As for the main content...next chapter is gonna be intense, guys! It's so much fun to write it, though! I made Katara and Haru quite close in this story, because I think that if they would've grown up a little, they would've been really good friends (oh, and in this story, he has no mustache, yay!).

Tell me what you think with a review, and feel free to message me if you have any questions :)

'Till next time, everyone!

- Yin


	10. Chapter 9

Dislcaimer: I DO NOT AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER

* * *

**Chapter 9 **

In that one moment, with the guards surrounding Zuko's battered form on the floor, he thought of only one thing. They were shrieking at the state of him; the cracked wall, his smeared, bloody face, his limp form lying heavily on the carpet as they tried to turn him over and sprinkle some water in his face, trying to pull him back into consciousness as fast as possible, and apparently, as loudly as possible (his throbbing head deciphered). And through this all, Zuko had only three words in his dizzy mind.

_That sneaky bitch._

"Sit him up! Put his head back!" one of them snapped, and Zuko could feel his shoulders being lifted up. "Shit, that Katara totally thrashed him! How did we not hear the battle?!"

"Because there wasn't one..." Zuko muttered, but he doubted anyone could hear him as they all fussed over his sitting position against a wall.

They continued to flick water in his face, since he was still rather dizzy, whilst some other guards started to brush some of the blood off of his nose with a damp rag of some kind that Zuko couldn't make out with properly with his befuddled mind. As soon as he was fully awake, however, he regretted it; he hadn't felt his body ache like this in a long, long time. It was like a wave of raw pain, riddling his entire body to the point were he actually writhed about weakly in agony.

"Try and stay still, your Majesty!" a deep voice said frantically, and he could feel the cloth on his nose again. He could hear them shuffling around as they muttered to each other below their breaths; though Zuko's vision and senses flared, his hearing insanely sharp at that moment, for some reason.

"Maybe we can take him out through the back passage of the Palace!" Zuko heard, frowning a little.

"But what if the earthbender sees us? He's patrolling the area, rounding up the waterbending troops-"

"It's either that or he dies here! He's in no state to fight the Princess or His Highness-"

"I'm not leaving!" Zuko grunted, summoning all of his energy as he pushed himself up and into a stand. He wobbled a little and the guards steadied him, but he brushed them off with as much force as he could muster; his control slowly came back to him, though. "Get out of here quickly and take anyone you can with you!"

"But my Prince, you cannot possibly fight that waterbender!"

"My home is here," Zuko said firmly, but quietly. "This is my nation, and I must defend it, even if it is from a peasant. After all, she's _my_ whore, is she not?"

They all blinked at the bloodied Prince as he regained his strength, summoning up whatever strength he had left. The temperature had dropped sufficiently, which meant that the central fire of the Palace had been destroyed, or that there were numerous holes gashed out of the sides of the huge Palace in multiple places. Zuko guessed the latter as he wiped more blood from his cupid's bow before turning to the bewildered men.

"Leave this place," Zuko uttered calmly. "The Palace is falling and that can't be stopped; not now. The least you can do is save yourselves and prevent further bloodshed today."

"But your Highness," one of the guards uttered, brown eyes widened in terror. "Midnight approaches, and the people of the Palace are falling with it, my Prince. What about Katara?"

Zuko looked in the direction he sensed the draft. "I'll deal with her."

* * *

She passed a few vases filled with fire lillies; beautiful, vibrant, tranquil.

They thinned and blackened in an instant as Katara raced past; she used it as an arc to whip her body right over the heads of the fleet of guards that tried to delay her. They just stood there, motionless as she zoomed to the corridors far too quickly for them to run after, even though they tried. She skidded on the water, picking up more and more droplets from the air that brushed her face. Katara's heart thumped in her chest at what waited for her, just mere floors below. She quickened her pace.

She saw a flash of blue and was forced to stop; just around the hallway was a waterbending warrior; he was fighting off a couple of firebenders single handedly, struggling from the lack of water supply that was around. She remembered his face from the classes that Pakku instructed all those years back when she was barely 15, the way they were forced to duel each other repeatedly since he was the only one who could withstand her attacks for more than 30 seconds.

Before one of the firebenders could burn the waterbender's skin off, Katara reached out with her vine of water again, grabbing him by the waist, similarly as she had done with Zuko; however, this time, she pulled back with a cry, and his body flew back and past her, crashing through and out of the wall as he toppled out of the Palace for good. The other firebender stiffened, recognizing her face. He dashed down the hall frantically, leaving the waterbending student dazed.

"Get out, Kurchik!" she yelled across to him. "Go to the back passageway and find Haru! Gather anyone you see and fall back immediately!"

He nodded, turning on his heel and leaving hurriedly.

"They're never gonna make it out in time..." Katara whispered, feeling the breeze sharpen through the hole in the Palace.

Her gut twisted, and that never happened; it only happened when something undeniably horrible was about to happen, something catastrophic, something worth running away from, and usually, things she _couldn't _run away from. She felt it the night her mother was killed, the night Aang was struck down by Azula's lightening, and then again when Ozai struck him down for good, forever.

And now, it twisted again, yelling for her to run.

"Oh, but you can't leave yet, _Katara._"

She turned, eyes calm and dead-set. "Is that so?"

Ozai was grinning as he slowly rose up to the the large hole in the middle of the Palace wall that she had created, fire igniting his heels to help him rise up in the midnight blue sky, the crescent moon watching in dread. He had that unsettling grin on his face like he always did, as he pushed himself inside the Palace once more at a glacial pace, just for the fun of it, finally thudding down to hit the thick carpet, straightening.

For some reason, he didn't wear his Phoenix crown, which bothered her in a weird way; she could feel his golden eyes search her, release her, stir up the concentrated anger she had been saving up for for years, for this very moment, for this very opportunity. His ridiculously large muscles swelled, ivory teeth flashing as his lengthy, almost-ebony hair swayed slightly in the thin breeze, similarly to Katara's.

He was looking right at her, right in the centre of her eyes. "Maybe I should've given you more credit. I've got to admit, it was a good plan, especially for an uneducated peasant, like yourself. Far more devious than what I had you pegged for-"

"People change." Katara said flatly, shoulders back and firm. He stood paces away, but she acted as if she could smell him, as if she could feel his skin touch hers in the final spar.

He chuckled. His voice was dark, so low, pricking her ears and skin. "You feel it, don't you?"

The corners of her mouth were pulled down, her brow creasing.

"When you look at me, you feel that hate; you feel that urge to rub my blood between your fingers," he spoke quietly, still grinning. "That's what your Avatar Aang never had; he never had the hate. He never had the will. And that was why he didn't succeed, despite being the Avatar. And that is why you very well could, despite being nothing but a pathetic waterbender."

She snarled, teeth grinding. "Don't you _dare _utter his name. Try it again, and I'll tear you apart, limb by limb."

He roared in laughter, and it echoed in the breeze. "That's another thing he didn't have! Gory little death threats he would hiss at me in battle-"

"It's easy to hate something, someone who took everything you ever had from you!" Katara spat loudly in anger. She cocked her wrist up, and water rushed to it at her command, from the breeze, from her sweat; she glowered at him. "Aang was too strong for that. He was too strong loathe and despise everything that is already dead and gone-"

"Oh, really?" Ozai asked quietly, even though it wasn't in a mocking way at all; it was things like that that made Katara toss and turn at night. She could see his feet firming, shuffling so subtly in a way that alerted her as he was gathered a faint stance. Her body hardened, her reflexes agile, curly hair brushing against her jawline as she fought not to fall into his trap, his words, his game.

"Then why is it that you're here, and he is dead?"

There was this pause, this silence, and for a moment, Katara wondered.

The anger from that alone made her spring into action, to extinguish the wave of fire that raced to incinerate her.

* * *

Things couldn't get much worse; could it?

Haru could barely hold his body up between attacks, could barely even keep his eyes open as he hurled the wave of pebbles from his pouch again and again at the rushing heard of soldiers and guards. He had reached his limit, and he was going to die very soon from his lack of reaction and slackening reflexes; he knew this all, but he fought on, thanking Agni at least that Katara was there to fend off Ozai for a while.

His heart fell at the thought of her, he found himself crying out because of this reason alone, as opposed to his draining fatigue which he was sure would finish him off any moment now; pebbles flew, as well as a few stones that were deeply embedded into the Palace walls. He bended whatever metal he could, but he was still a beginner; he thanked Toph inwardly for even teaching him the technique, and then cursed himself for being so naturally un-talented in it.

He fell to his knees wheezing, just as the final, bloodied guard did; it had been over 48 hours since this had all started, and even with Katara here, an end didn't seem prominent. He lent against the wall gasping rapidly before forcefully hauling his body up and into a standing position, pushing some hair stuck to his face away weakly. He hadn't seen a Tribal warrior for a while, which was concerning, given that there were about 10 left-

"Oh! You're still alive? I guess I underestimated you, earthbender!"

Things just got much, much worse.

Emerald eyes widened in horror at the sound of that voice, at the memories that came rushing with it, at his heartbeat that fought to deal with the shock and the pain and the anger all at once as he turned slowly, totally aghast. This dread filled him instantly; a low, dark, yet sickly substance that made every part of him want to groan and cry and kill. He barely had the energy to growl or frown, but he managed to.

Azula grinned, so devious, so placid. "You're impressive; you would have made a fine leader to my Dai Li-"

"I would rather be burnt alive than ever even be considered to serve the likes of _you_!" Haru roared, summoning strength he didn't even know he had.

Her grin grew. "Perhaps I can help you with that."

Haru jumped high upon reflex, and rightly so, since she blasted her azure fire his way with no mercy intended whatsoever; he scrambled to deflect and dodge, which proved to be much harder than what his brain made out to be. Fire licked at his ankles, his clothes, his hair, alarming Haru enough to throw a few attacks out there, the adrenaline making most of the decisions for him.

Helmets from the dead bodies of the guards flew, circling the Princess of the Fire Nation in an attempt to distract or even allude her, though this only lasted a few moment before she inhaled and slammed her palms the ground, a rush of blazing cobalt blasting its way to him just enough to send Haru's body flying backwards and into the wall, falling back onto the floor in a limp thud.

He could hear her footsteps racing to deliver the last assault, and he braced himself, flinching.

The attack never came; instead, the sound of another blast of fire, that apparently, wasn't aimed at him.

Haru mustered up the last of his strength to lift his head, eyes widened at the scene before him in disbelief, feeling quite certain that he was dreaming. Zuko stood before him, blocking his sisters attacks with as much strength as he could manage with his slightly befuddled brain and more than nauseated body; he grunted as he let out a tremendous blast of fire at the not-quite-ready Azula, who only just managed to block the attack with a shriek just as it approached.

"Once a traitor, always a traitor, huh Zuzu?" she yelled out in a low chuckle. "Stand aside and let me finish off the earthbender, unless you plan to do it for me!"

"Keep your claws off of him, Azula!" Zuko snarled back in reply.

Azula's arms swung as she sent out a wave of cobalt fire at her brother, who slammed his hands together to split it directly through the center with a grunt. The flames illuminated the dimly lit hallway as Haru watched in confusion and shock, the bodies of the two firebenders dancing in the air as they sparred, sparks flying from the flames that erupted from their precise palms.

Once Haru found his feet, accepting what this was right before him, he too joined in, hurling as many pebbles as he could in her direction; despite Zuko emitting signs of mild concussion, and Haru being extremely fatigued, Azula was still at the advantage; that's what made her next move so confusing and unpredictable, yet, she had proven to be of that sort of character for a long time.

She veered away with a grin, to the other end of the hall; swiftly lifting her face to the ceiling, she aimed with one hand before blasting a hole through the ceiling, and all the ceilings after that from the higher floors, the wind from the outside world working its way down to them, swirling around the young, panting men who watched with growls, elements at hand. Azula looked them in the eye.

"You can win this time, brother," she assured quietly, menacingly. "But next time, I promise I won't be as merciful with you."

With fire at her soles, she shot up and out of the Palace.

The two stared at the hole for a moment, before facing each other once more; Haru immediately hurled backwards, pebbles from previous killings rushing back to him before hovering at his sides, ready to strike at his command. Emerald eyes surveyed Zuko's form; his tall stature, his muscled build, his gleaming golden eyes that looked somewhat different. Yet, he kept his pebbles close.

"Why did you do that?" Haru snapped, frowning as he panted.

Zuko pressed his lips together, deciding against it. "It doesn't matter. You just have to tell me where Katara is."

Haru almost rolled his eyes. "And why the fuck would I do that?"

"Because she has to get out of here! Along with you and the other Tribal warriors!" Zuko hissed, stepping forward in anger. "I have a feeling that Ozai is up to something, and that you and Katara and the rest of the waterbenders should go back to where ever you've been hiding and guard the new Avatar!"

Haru's eyes narrowed. "And what're you basing this on?"

Zuko growled. "My instincts - you know, my gut."

"And did your 'gut' tell you to betray us in Ba Sing Se?"

"No, actually," Zuko said firmly. "And look where that fucking got me."

Haru paused, watching Zuko carefully, pebbles still hovering obediently for a few more minutes until they sank to the ground reluctantly. Haru weighed out the chances of making it out of here alive, and it didn't look good; if Zuko offered a way out for everyone, he didn't really have any other option than to take it. Besides, if Krahyus was in danger, this was all futile - right?

"I sent her down to the Grand Hall, where Ozai was supposed to be, but judging by the fact that Azula made it all the way up here gets me second guessing," the earthbender explained in his deep voice, frowning. "If you keep running through the halls long enough, you should find her. Once I've gathered the waterbenders, I'll try to find you both. Keep her alive until then."

Zuko nodded. "I'll try my best."

"You better," Haru warned, edging closer. "If I find that you've even been _looking_ at her the wrong way, you're dead."

Zuko shuffled before turning on his heel at the sternness of his voice. "I'll...keep that in mind."

* * *

_"Remember your breathing," _Iroh preached in her head. _"Get your breathing wrong and you may as well give up!"_

She darted backwards, leaping high into the air before plummeting back down again, water fanning out in a thin, horizontal blade that sliced everything around her within a 5 yard radius. Katara couldn't quite remember when it was that she had ended up fighting Ozai outside, but was thankful for it, to say the least; the water around her thrived for her usage and disposal. The plants, the air, the grass, her very perspiration.

And she didn't plan on wasting a drop of it.

However, she realized how little certain parts of her training prepared her for this; Ozai was more faster, agile and cunning in battle than what she had expected, and only now did she understand what Iroh had been ramming into her head all these years. But she adapted quickly, for she had to; besides, she was at an advantage anyway. The crescent moon gazed with empathy at her, gleaming and illuminating the blackened sky.

She tensed her fingers, dragging her forearm backwards in a sleek motion; a thread of water glistened at her command, not even visible to Ozai himself, who continued to pursue and blast dangerously powerful embers at her. She dodged with precise reflexes, weaving herself and her thread through the embers she extinguished with her free hand, until she was right up close to him, feeling his not even ragged breath against her skin.

But before she could even begin to carve her fourth slice at his muscled body, he lashed out, flinging his arms in a criss-cross motion that sent out lengths of orange flames that shot so quickly she barely had time to react; the flames missed her by millimeters and she swore as she felt the heat on her skin, before in haling and breaking down some water vapour, grunting as she let it extinguish the constant fire blasts he threw at her mercilessly.

"You're talented!" Ozai cried out with an arrogant laugh. "Looks like you're not the little peasant girl your Avatar fell in love with anymore!"

She growled, the grass from the ground shooting up in shards of ice at him.

He was doing it on purpose, and Katara knew that; he was purposely trying to make her loose control, loose the game, fall for the little trick of playing exactly how he wanted her to. It was so difficult to not play along; to not loose it and unleash what he knew she possessed. She could snap him like a twig under this moon, but that wasn't the misson here; save her warriors, save one of her closest friends, and maybe make it out alive. She had to focus, ignore him-

Ozai leapt into the air and she followed a moment later, water from the soil beneath her feet sending her flying; she used the water vapour to keep her up in the air and floating, a technique she had devised over a year and a half ago for moments like this, when Ozai would choose to shoot from an ariel perspective; close combat occurred, and she landed a hit that sent him flying.

Katara didn't realize how bad the burn on her thigh was until her feet hit the ground.

"_Shit!_" she hissed with gritted teeth, glancing at the navy fabric blackened around the edges of her wound, revealing the raw, gaping skin that burned like acid. It was red and seared, painful just to at as it took up over half of her thigh.

Water rushed to it on command without her even thinking, the pale light glimmering obediently, healing her so quickly that the skin was repaired and ready to go within half a minute. But this in itself was taking too long; Ozai was ablaze and back in the scene, the fire at his soles making him shoot so fast that he could barely control himself, but that was the idea; he rammed himself into Katara's petite frame and she cried out as they both went flying.

As they flew backwards, Katara didn't wait for them to halt naturally; water rushed to her bruises, scrapes and new burns again absent mindedly, as she summoned a sheet of ice between their two interlocked, wrestling bodies; she used said shard to force his huge body back so that he was sent the other way, using the force to also bring her own body to a stop and regain control.

Once Ozai hit the ground, he was seething. "ENOUGH!"

Slamming his palms together, the ferocious twitter of lighting could be heard before it was seen; azure, crackling threads lit up the sky, screaming as Ozai pulled and twisted it back and forth about him, gaining just the momentum he needed. Katara panted, gathering a stance as she drove her feet firmly into the already deadened grass. A huge oak tree behind her vanished into thin air, racing to her; decades of growth was forgotten in less than an instant, and a part of her was truly sorry for it.

The air became so much more moist from the tree, but she wouldn't let Ozai breath any of it, keeping it close to her, surrounding her in a thin mist; lightening came hurling towards her but she caught it with her water that liquidized instantly at her call. She held the lightening in her perfect sphere of water, tingling at the feeling of it dance around within her element, within herself.

It shot back at him, and Ozai only dodged by inches; this just made him even more determined, since he was the last thing he wanted was for her to see him get frustrated or aggravated because of her. He drew in a sharp breath before hurling all the lightning he could at her; Katara did her best to deflect it, dedicating every hit to every person who had died over the last 103 years.

But one attack came too quickly, came to fast for her to anticipate.

It wasn't her voice that cried out.

"KATARA!"

It distracted her, eyes widening in terror as she linked the voice to the face in her mind, whirling in the air, mid-dodge; Kurchik scrambled to her, dragging water with him in his palm since he wasn't able to draw it from secondary resources like Katara could. He looked so flustered and distraught as he ran to her, and her heart beat picked up, her brain not reacting from the sheer shock of it all.

"KURCHIK, NO!" she roared. "RU-"

But the horrendous twittering arose once more, filling her ears, shaking her right from within, making her come alive in so many ways; she whipped round to face Ozai who stood yards away, aiming the crackling, blue thunder at the panting warrior who could do nothing but freeze as he saw what was about to happen, his body stiffening so that he couldn't even run. She could pick out the smirk on Ozai's face, and she snapped.

Raising her wrists, Ozai stiffened.

The lightening was gone so quickly, leaving a totally silent pause behind; Ozai turned to face her, quivering as his body moved with a mind of its own, a mind that he had absolutely no power over. Katara breathed out, firming her stance and swinging her arms so that he rose into the air, up to the shocked and pure crescent moon, convulsing in terror as golden eyes fixated down to her, the wind letting their hair sway lightly. He didn't have to say anything.

Out of her peripheral vision, Katara could see Haru bombarding into the scene adjacent to her, screaming at Kurchik to run, and scolding him for being so damn stupid; but that in itself was a huge risk. There were just some people who were harder to bloodbend; some very powerful benders that give you a harder time, that require every ounce of concentration. And it came to no surprise as she quickly learnt Ozai was one of them.

She couldn't keep a hold on him for much longer, as she could feel his muscles start to constrict in defiance at her, try so desperately to resist her. She only hoped that Haru could haul Kurchik out in time, but it looked like even that would be a luxury; Ozai managed to twist his head, the veins on his neck bulging, lips pursing with every ounce of energy he had to blow a ball of fire hurtling towards to the two fatigued men.

Katara had to let go, as she raced to them, not caring.

"NO!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, skidding against the soil to shield the two in whatever way she could.

And this is exactly what the Phoenix Lord had wanted.

She made herself the target, and even though Ozai was still lying on the ground, barely any control left in his body, he summoned the energy to hurtle lightning at her petite frame that put itself between the lightning and the people she loved. There wasn't enough time to react, and this was the simple truth of it all - Katara waited to start convulsing and screaming, blocking out the sounds of a roaring Haru and Kurchik.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

* * *

The most scariest thing of all, was that Zuko wasn't thinking.

He wasn't thinking as he set fire to his heels and glided at the speed of light to the scene before him, to the scene he knew had already engraved itself into his memory for all eternity. He wasn't thinking as he approached Katara, the waterbender, who had somehow encased her comrades in a sphere of water so that no harm could be done to them. He wasn't thinking as he passed her, watching her curly hair fly in the wind he left behind.

He wasn't thinking as he put himself between her and his father's lightening.

But that was the best part.

The fact that he had thought nothing at all of risking his life - no, _giving_ his life - to his enemy made him feel tranquil, and in the strangest way, too. Because it meant that maybe there was hope for him yet; maybe he wouldn't turn out to be a tyrant like his father and sister. Maybe he had inherited some good from his Uncle, from his mother, and if he had the strength, Zuko would have smiled.

He convulsed wildly, before plummeting to the ground, utterly still.

* * *

Katara did not comprehend what had just happened in front of her.

Zuko's body lay on the moisture-stripped grass before her, smoke rising off of his body, his eyes closed, his form totally still. His messy, ebony hair fell over his face in all the wrong places, his porcelain skin gleaming under the moonlight as Katara's icy blue eyes fought to make sense of what he had just done, of what had just occurred, of what the hell she was supposed to do now.

Her sphere of water released Haru and Kurchik, her concentration totally focused on the Prince of the Fire Nation.

But she didn't have the time.

Ozai was already up and standing, igniting his soles and fists so that he rose up into the air with a frown as he looked down at his son. "That stupid boy; always getting in the way. Well, at least he won't be doing that anymore."

"Z-Zuko..." Haru breathed behind Katara, emerald eyes quivering, similarly to hers.

Ozai's gaze met Katara's, who looked up with determination once more, not bothering to rise from a crouch as he stared her down. He kept grinning and grinning at her, and she knew that there were things he wanted to say, things he wanted to say that would play with her mind, eat away at her, make her wonder why she had even started all this at all. But, he said something worse.

"Well, I better get going; I'm planning to pay little Krahyus a visit," he hissed menacingly. He looked right into the center of her eyes, making Katara feel the fear right from within, her skin and eyes pricking with horror. "I do hope you join us eventually; we have much to discuss, you and I!"

What scared her most, were his next five words.

"_See you in Kioshi, Katara_."

And with that, he zoomed away.

Katara started to pant in pure panic, her hands rushing to her head as she curled over, shaking her head again and again. Kurchik and Haru acted similarly, at the thought of Ozai landing in the middle of Kioshi, ripping the soil and stone up from the island to reveal the Tribes, to reveal Krahyus, to reveal the White Lotus, to end everything they had left, everything they loved, everything they had _worked for_-

"Katara, you have to go!" Haru yelled, grabbing her shoulder and meeting her icy blue eyes with his forest green ones. "You have to get to Kioshi before he does! Everyone else is still probably at the Boiling Rock, so the people have no chance! You're the only one who can go fast enough!"

"Krahyus..." Katara breathed, tears pricking her eyes.

"Katara! Haru!" Kurchik said urgently, rushing to them. "Azula has started things up again in the Palace! We haven't got long here!"

"Katara, go _now_!" Haru pleaded, brushing hair from her face. "You're our only hope! You have to save Krahyus, by any means necessary!"

"But, Haru..." she whispered. "I can't just leave you and the warriors-"

"We'll be fine," Haru assured exasperatedly, smiling a little. "We'll make it back to Kioshi somehow. You just have to make sure you get there before Ozai does, you have to get the Tribes somewhere safe, take Krahyus and hide her away somewhere!"

She nodded shakily, standing. She hugged them fiercely, kissing their cheeks briefly before an explosion was heard in the Palace, alarming the them all to hurry onwards. Katara gathered some water, using a combination of her sweat, water vapour and plant life. Just as she was about to shoot up, she paused, turning to look down at Zuko's still form once more; he lay quietly, still emitting smoke.

She stared at him.

_"You know what I love most about you, Katara?" Aang breathed into her ear. "Your heart. That you care about everyone, that you never give up. I love you because you always do the right thing, and that never turn your back on people who need you. I don't know many people who are like that...do you?" _

She pressed her eyelids shut.

She stretched out her palm, and Zuko's body shot to her, already covered in water and beggining to heal as she clutched him.

The two bodies flew into the air, zooming into the blackened sky.

* * *

_**Katara;** _

_When me, Aang, Sokka and Toph were travelling in the Fire Nation, I had this phase where I would dress up like the Painted Lady and walk into little villages at night, healing people just enough so that they could survive a few more weeks. Whilst I was doing it; slipping on the robes, the hat and its ripped veil, swiping my skin with the marks of a goddess, I don't quite remember what I was thinking, or what spurred me on to do such a thing. _

_I got no credit or training or experience from what I did; just the gasps of a young boy who happened to catch a glimpse of me as I left. __But I think I get it now; or, at least, a part of it all._

_When my mother died, even when Aang died__, there's always a little part of me that still thinks its all a joke or a trick. But if you wait long enough, hope and wish hard enough, you'll soon come to realize that life isn't as perfect or magical enough to be a nothing but a dream you wake up screaming from. The hole in your life (and heart), isn't going to fill up any time soon. _

_Walking through that little Fire Nation village just brought that feeling back to me; these people, these innocent, good, harmless people were loosing themselves, because they were loosing everyone they loved. It made me so angry, so livid, so alive with rage I could barely sleep at night; they hadn't done anything wrong. They hadn't hurt anyone. They weren't bad people, or bad mothers, fathers, sisters, sons, daughters, brothers, or friends. _

_My worst fear was that they would end up like me, months, years after my mother had died; and then again when Aang died, even though I didn't know that at the time. So I played the part, wore the clothes, streaking the paint across my face with defiance. I didn't want them to become so helpless, so afraid, so alone, so needy, so desperate. I didn't want them to forget what it was like to just laugh with your friends, to enjoy life and the tiny, insignificant yet wondrous things that it still had to offer, past the clouds. _

_I didn't want them to end up losing hope. _

_I didn't want them to end up like me._

_In my mind, I thought that if I could save them, then I could save that little part of me that was still capable of hoping and wishing and waiting. I thought that if I could save this village and these people, I might've been able to control what happened to Aang, to the world, if I were given the chance. I thought that I would be able to convince myself that I could have done something about it all, that I would have the power and the wisdom and the strength to rebuild what everyone kept leaving behind to me. _

_A few weeks after the Final Battle, I found out that the village had been totally obliterated by Ozai, in search of Krahyus, like many others._

_After that, I stopped hoping and started training._

* * *

So if you couldn't already tell, I was trying to recreate the last episode of ATLA when Zuko took Azula's lightning for Katara - except this time, I made it Ozai's lightning, which I think is much more fatal than Azula's, hence Zuko's critical state afterwards. I don't know about other Zutarians out there, but I felt like that scene was such a slap in the face for the Zuko/Katara pairing! It's like they dangled it in our faces then ripped the dream away! *angry face*

Anyway, Aang's voice in the back of Katara's head was pretty quiet for a few chapters, but now it actually showed itself and really influenced her decision about Zuko. And now its revealed that Ozai knows the location of the Water Tribes, and more importantly, Avatar Krahyus. Oooh, right?

Oh and don't forget, Toph, Sokka, the other Tribal warriors and The White Lotus are still at the Boiling Rock, breaking out the comrades that have been stranded there for just about 3 years now - their reunion will appear next chapter, and I'm looking forward to adding Hakoda and Suki to the Gaang :)

Hope you enjoyed this chapter - leave a review and tell me what you think!

- Yin

PS, Sorry to **carrot** and **JourneyRocks13** who thought this story was finished, didn't mean for my previous Author's Notes to come off that way! Don't worry, I'm not even half way through the story yet! :) Thanks for reminding me to update my Author's Notes, though!


	11. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER

* * *

**Chapter 10 **

**~3 MONTHS LATER~ **

It was funny how your body can remember something your mind eventually forgets.

Zuko's golden eyes fluttered open, his gaze meeting unfamiliar shades of blue, alerting his body with a rush of adrenaline. It was like those days travelling with his Uncle all over again, when being a light sleeper actually came of use, thanks to bandits. He wanted to sit upon pure reflex, but the aching pain in the middle of his chest exploded into Zuko's senses, shocking him to the point where his jaw fell open.

His upper half was bare, though his chest was heavily bandaged; he was wearing his tunic, though, which was weird, because he hadn't even touched it in almost three years. Thankfully, he was wearing some maroon pants, enabling him to clutch at whatever pride he had left. Zuko realized that the bandages barely allowed him to breathe, and he could just about make out the deafeningly painful mark underneath it.

Zuko decided he didn't want to undo the bindings to look at it.

Questions started to form in his groggy mind, each one being screamed with urgency in his conscience; why was he alive? Where was he? How long had he been like this? Was he taken hostage? Was this even the Fire Nation? Would he have to fight his way out of here? What happened back in the Palace? Did the warriors escape? Did the earthbender? Did his father, his sister?

Did Katara?

Zuko screamed curses as he rolled out of the slab of rock, hitting the floor with a heavy thump. He managed to land on his knees, which hurt like hell, but was admittedly better than landing on his still wounded chest. He could feel that hollow ache on his skin, reminiscing about the same pain he endured to his facial scar. He touched it with his marred cheekbone with his fingertips, just to make sure it was still there, that he wasn't dreaming.

He felt the roughness under his fingertips - he knew it was too good to be true.

The curtains of the tent flapped open before Zuko could even lift his head.

"What's all tha-"

An elderly woman, clearly of the Water Tribe, stood in the opening. She stared at him like he was ablaze, like he was sprouting wings from his ass, like he had the blood of a thousand soldiers smeared across his skin. Zuko just stared back with the same expression.

The old woman blinked.

She breathed out, dark blue eyes warming to his squint of confusion. "Good evening, Zuko. Finally up, I see."

* * *

She gulped down her third pouch of water.

Toph leaned back, feeling the rough ground under her fingers with one hand, and swiping the sweat off her brow with the other. The spar with Katara really took it out of her today, and she almost thankful when Iroh stopped them both mid-stance, since Katara had to meditate; it was better than accepting another defeat, even if it was to her best friend, her sister. Toph grinned at the thought of her.

She closed her eyes, though it didn't make a difference; she loved this place. She loved being surrounded by earth, by sight, even though the people of the Water Tribe were starting to feel nauseated having been underground so long. They usually went up to the surface of Kioshi, nowadays, to their relief; but Toph was perfectly fine here. Happy, even. Or, as happy as she could be, given the circumstances.

Her smile fell at the many reasons.

She felt a familiar weight thump next to her, a broad shoulder brush her small one.

"You look so broody sitting here," Sokka remarked, but she could hear him smiling. "It's so unlike you, Miss Beifong."

"Can't a girl catch her breath in silence, meat-head?" Toph grinned again, taking another swing of water.

"You? Silent? You've definitely lost your mind, Pebbles."

She pushed him with her shoulder roughly, and could hear his low chuckle, feel his warm body saunter back to her, and it made her smile. She didn't quite remember when he had made up the nickname 'Pebbles' for her, but decided not to dwell on the topic, since it was long due, and there were worse names he could call her. They were quiet again, and they could feel the gap of where Aang would join in their conversation.

They waited for him, even though they knew it was futile.

"Katara's meditating already?" Sokka asked, changing the subject quickly; she thanked him silently. "Little early, isn't it?"

Toph paused, sipping her water. "She's been extra angry these days. Especially since she came back from the Palace; Iroh's forcing in a couple more hours on her, saying the extra meditating can do nothing but good."

"That's Iroh, I guess..." Sokka trailed off, glancing at the ground. "She doesn't _look_ angry, though. I mean, she shouts, yeah, but not more than usual-"

"It's when she fights," Toph interrupted softly. "She gets a little...ruthless."

They didn't have to voice the obvious, the clear evidence of Toph's words which were brought alive by the incident that occurred when Katara raced back to Kioshi 3 months ago. They were quiet as they let the stillness around them settle.

Toph didn't have to see to be able to know that he was looking right at her; she tried not to shuffle about under his gaze, but she couldn't help it. She could feel her body heating up so she looked away, sipping more water. Soon enough, she felt the penetrating gaze leave her; but large, warm, calloused hand held her small, pale one delicately, like she could break any second. She held it back.

In moments like this, it felt like they had lost nothing at all.

"Sokka, Toph!"

Sokka jerked his head, and Toph held back a frown; she could feel Suki jog to them.

"What's wrong?" Sokka asked immediately, letting go of Toph's hand, standing up to grab Suki's instead. Toph didn't say anything, tried not to feel anything as she too stood, taking a swing of her water, wishing it was ale.

Suki paused, and they both sensed the tension.

Two words sent them reeling.

"He's up."

* * *

_Breathing - breathing, breathing, breathing... _

Katara exhaled with difficulty, trying not to grind her teeth together as she pressed her eyelids shut. Iroh was right; she needed to start meditating more often, but that didn't mean it was easy. She was starting to find it a lot more difficult nowadays, and she tried not to list the reasons as to why that might be, because she knew that if she started, she would never stop.

She suddenly had an urge to feel wind again, to breathe real air again, noting that she should probably go to the surface later today to get some sunlight; she hated training underground, but she didn't really have a choice. Katara knew that in her current state, if she was let loose to spar above, there wouldn't be much nature left in Kioshi. It was getting so difficult to find a reason to control herself these days, and she damn well _hated _that-

_Breathing - breathing, breathing, breathing... _

She hated what was happening, and she hated what she had become; she hated how things were, and she hated how she couldn't do anything about it. She hated how much she took for granted, travelling with her friends like it was a necessity those days, like she was entitled to it. She hated how she couldn't sleep for more than four hours at a time because she couldn't get his face out of her head-

"Katara," Pakku said softly in his deep voice.

She didn't open her eyes. "It's only been two hours."

The old man smiled. "I know, child-"

_Breathing - breathing, breathing, breathing... _

"But Iroh said I should meditate more," Katara half-whined, opening her eyes. "So, I'm meditating. It won't work if I keep being interrupted every few hours-"

"That's not why I'm here," Pakku cut off gently. He approached her, and she knew immediately that something was wrong. Katara jumped up, alert and concerned as she waited in anticipation. "I...have news."

Pale azure eyes came alive, twinkling in intensity. She waited.

Katara observed him; whatever news it was, it must be terrible. Pakku's posture was all over the place, which as so unlike him; he kept looking away like he felt guilty, licking his lips nervousness. She could feel his heart beating in his chest rapidly with her waterbending, then feeling the vibrations through the stone like how Toph had taught her.

Maybe some warriors had gone missing, or even civilians - maybe they were running out of food, of meat, or even money. What if there were a fleet of Fire Nation ships surrounding Kioshi this very minute. She'd have to engulf it all, drown them; or what if they were balloons, in the air - she'd have to slice at them, destroy them immediately. What if it was about Krahyus, or the colonies, or even if Ozai himself was at their door right now-

_Breathing - breathing, breathing, breathing... _

"He's up."

Something inside of Katara exploded in fury.

This news was far worse; with ice at her heels, she was already gliding away, ignoring Pakku's barks.

* * *

"I think I'll call you Sparky."

Zuko blinked. "I'm sorry?"

Toph tapped her chin. "Mmm...yeah. Sparky sounds good."

"My name is Zu-"

"Not anymore, Sparky."

Zuko didn't like this. He didn't like how everyone was crowded inside the healing hut, staring at him like he wasn't of this earth. He sat awkwardly on the slab of stone they referred to as a bed, trying not to shift about uncomfortably under their gaze as he wrapped a protective arm over his injured chest. He tried not to look at them in the eye, yet tried to match names to faces regardless.

The blind earthbender, the one who had nick named like some stray turtle-duck, was the only one who was grinning. Katara's brother stood there too, half scowling; the Kioshi warrior stood next to him, one eyebrow raised at Zuko like he was about to do something suspicious. Chief Hakoda and Arnook were also present, along with some of the The White Lotus members; Bumi, Piandao, Jeong Jeong.

They were all just looking at him, like they had been doing for the past hour, occasionally whispering to each other about something. The elderly healer was also there, checking his bandages every so often, maybe also making sure that he wouldn't be pounced on and assaulted at any given moment. Zuko cleared his throat awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. He didn't know what they were waiting for.

"So," Hakoda started suddenly, folding his arms. His gaze sliced through the young firebender. "My daughter was your whore?"

Zuko wished he had died all those months ago. "Look, it's not what it seems like!" he tried fruitlessly. His voice sped up and became higher as he tried to defend himself. "I didn't touch her, I swear! I didn't do anything to her! I was a total gentleman-"

"_Gentleman_?!" Sokka seethed, stepping forward. "Chasing us around the world, nearly killing us multiple times, betraying us in Ba Sing Se, allowing your family to kill the Avatar for a second time - you class that as being a _gentlemen_-"

"Quiet down, meat-head," Toph snapped. "Agni be damned if Katara heard y-"

The cloth of the tent rattled and everyone winced at the irony; shards of ice could be heard shattering outside, and soon enough, Katara burst into the tent, elbowing her way through the crowd of people within it; Pakku followed fruitlessly. She was wearing her navy Tribal attire now, which was unfamiliar to Zuko's gaze; but her vivid eyes were the same. As well as the snarl on her lips, the blazing fury in her pupils as she advanced to him.

Zuko noted the coolness of her hands as they enclosed around his throat.

"What the _fuck _is wrong with you?!" she screamed, and Zuko felt the oxygen leave him.

"Katara!" Hakoda cried, scowling more at her language than at her actions.

"Katara, stop it!" Toph cried, prying her hands off Zuko's throat before he turned as blue as his sister's fire. Zuko spluttered with coughs as he almost fell off of the slab of stone, his own anger welling up inside of him as he held his throat protectively, glaring at her.

"What are you talking about?! I saved your life!" Zuko hissed at her as she shrugged off Toph's restraining arms.

"You don't get it!" Katara yelled again, eyes blazing as she advanced to him again, though this time, did not try to strangle the life out of him. "For Agni's sake, you were basically _dead_! You've been fucking comatose for months now, and if it wasn't for me, you would have died not even 5 minutes after you were hit!"

"Maybe we should give them a minute..." Suki offered quietly.

Bumi shrugged. "If we do, she'll probably kill him."

"It's a chance we should take; they deserve the privacy." Piandao sighed, ushering them out of the room. Katara noted that he mentioned something about refraining from killing Zuko whilst they were gone, but her attention was elsewhere. She studied his golden eyes, finally open, his messy hair that was falling into his eyes having grown so long, his bandaged chest. It just made her even madder, even angrier. Zuko waited for them to leave the room before resuming their argument.

He narrowed his eyes, still furious. "Then why bring me back here, why even save me if you're so mad at me?!"

"Because I _hate _owing favours!" Katara barked. "And who the hell even does that?! Throwing yourself in front of lightening for your _enemy_-"

"You told me to decide my own destiny, and I did!" Zuko yelled back. "I decided I wanted to join you! I decided I wanted to protect the new Avatar, to try and make up for all the shit I caused and _maybe _put a stop to this damn war-"

"And get yourself killed in the process?!" Katara seethed. "Were you even thinking?!"

"_No_!" Zuko cried. "And that was the best part! For the first time, I thought about someone else's life first rather than mine-"

"And you decided to pick your arch enemy's?" Katara hissed, still glaring.

Zuko blinked. "I...I never thought of you as my _arch_ enemy-"

"Of course I am. I adopted the role since Aang was slaughtered by Ozai."

Zuko growled, standing up forcefully but instantly regretting it. The still healing wound under the bandages stung and ached in an indescribable manner, so much so that Zuko fell to his knees, clutching at his chest as he gasped from the agony. He could hear Katara sigh in frustration, and she was kneeling down and hooking his arm over neck to haul him up, even though she was so much shorter than him.

She pushed him back onto the slab of rock as she sliced away the bandages with a quick blade of water, and before he knew it, Zuko could feel the cool liquid settle on the pink explosion of a wound that he refused to look at, fighting to stop his eyes from fluttering closed at the relaxation. He peered at her as she healed him with gritted teeth, not looking at him.

"There's still something I don't get," Zuko uttered gently, the water soothing away his fury. "No one seems to have tried to kill me yet. Sure, I didn't get off to a great start with your father and brother, but I expected worse. A lot worse, actually."

She looked at him, right in the center of his eyes. There was a pause before she looked away again.

"At first, whilst you were still in your coma, there was a bit of an uproar about you staying here, joining us," she admitted rather quietly. There was another break in her speech, but he waited. "But after I told them what happened, all that you did for me, for Haru...you earned your place. Some of us may not be happy about it, but you deserve to be here."

He was still looking at her, waiting for to continue.

"Hell, if it wasn't for you, _I _wouldn't be here," she spoke gently, eyes drifting away slightly. She shrugged, still not meeting his gaze. "Besides, it can't be too terrible having another firebender. You might even be able to tell us things about Ozai that we didn't know beforehand."

"And if...I betray you all?" Zuko asked. "Not that I would, or anything-"

"I'll kill you on sight, no questions asked."

There was a silence, but it wasn't a heavy one; they let the glimmering blue light of the water fill their vision partially, the faint sound of the water working at the pain in his skin gently sift through their ears. Briefly, Zuko felt her skin brush around the edges of the new scar on his chest; he watched her from the corner of his eye as she outlined the little mark of pink on his skin inadvertently, probably thinking he couldn't feel it.

"You know, a while ago, when you were still travelling with your brother and Avatar Aang," Zuko said quietly, drawing her attention, though she still refused to look at him. "We were in the woods at some point, together. We didn't fight. He said...he told me that, maybe in a different time, a different place...we could've been friends."

Katara's eyes snapped to him, some curly hair sticking to her jaw as she fixated on him, and now Zuko was the one to avoid her gaze. He didn't have to look to see the glimmer in her eyes, to see the desperation and longing she possessed for her deceased un-biological brother. He paused and the healing faded, because her attention was totally on him, boring into him until he forced himself to look at her.

"I know I was too late for him," Zuko whispered, looking right at her, making both their skin prickle with goose-bumps. "I know I've done some horrible, horrible things to you. I know I was too late to mend it all back then when I could have, _should _have. But I'm here now. And I think, now that the time and place is right...me and you could be friends, too."

She almost crumbled, almost lost it all, almost fell apart right there, right in the middle of the healing hut like the pathetic little pre-pubescent girl she once was. Katara had never seen eyes that looked so sincere before, and she almost forgot everything she had learnt about the world and its cruelty, because right there, in that one second, it was like everything that Aang stood for rose from the dead, proving her wrong.

She didn't know whether to hit Zuko or hug him; so she did neither.

She was still looking right in the center of his eyes. But her pale blue orbs drifted off once more, the faint outline of Aang's memory resurfacing in her mind for the first time in a long time. She didn't quite remember what he looked like, but she could see his smiling mouth, his twinkling grey eyes, and that was enough. She had the pieces of his face, but was unable to put it together correctly. But maybe it didn't matter, because maybe Aang didn't die in vain after all.

If Zuko wasn't there, she would've cried.

"Okay."

* * *

The blind earthbender - Toph - was the one who had to escort Zuko out of the healing hut for the first time in months once Katara went back to training. It seemed like the most ridiculous notion at first, since Zuko could swear that she was at most, half his height. But she was surprisingly strong, incredibly strong; ridiculously strong, in fact. Zuko noted that he probably shouldn't anger her, of all people.

"Okay Sparky, stay sharp! I'm gonna throw a lot of names at you!" Toph jeered with a grin. "Try not to forget them. We don't wanna give anyone any more reasons to hate you."

"Erm...right," Zuko wavered.

"And by Agni, they definitely have enough of those-"

"I get it." Zuko growled. He paused. "Not to sound rude or anything, but how do you know who's who?"

Toph scoffed with a smirk. "Oh, trust me Sparky. I can tell."

She then proceeded to walk him through the camp, yelling out names of all sorts; Sokka, Suki, Hakoda, Piandao, Pakku, Bumi, Arnook, Yagoda, Jeong Jeong, The Duke, Smellerbee, Longshot, Haru, Pipsqueek, Bato, Tyro, Teo, The Boulder, The Hippo, Chit Sang and many, many others that Zuko's short term memory could not retain. They also passed another elderly woman, who sat in a secluded area, alone. Zuko decided not to ask, thanking Agni it wasn't him.

Toph had to set him down against the gravel, since walking was still new to him, before plopping down next to him, yawning before resting her palms behind her head. Zuko glanced at her awkwardly as others watched him from the corner of their eyes, a hint of caution still imminent.

"Toph...it's Toph, right?" he asked quickly first, to which she nodded. "Why are you being so..._friendly _to me? I mean, I was cooped up with Katara for over a month and even she tried to throttle me when I woke up."

She shrugged, before burping in rather vulgar manner. "Don't get me wrong, you've pissed me off, too; just as much as you have everyone else. But I know good people when I hear them. You may not have gotten off to a good start, but you saved my friends. My family. You saved Katara. You may have been a prick then, but you're not anymore. At least, I don't think you want to be."

"I don't," Zuko confirmed quietly, leaning back against the wall. "Thanks, though. It means a lot."

She scoffed, smirking. "I know," she jeered. "I have a feeling you haven't had many friends before."

He sighed, wincing as he adjusted the bandages. "I suppose I haven't had many opportunities to practice the art of friend-making lately."

"Well, you have opportunities now," Toph assured. "I know everyone seems a little touchy but they'll come around eventually. It's like being told that a hippo-bear is vicious and evil your entire life, and then it _saves_ your life, and your friends' lives, and says it wants to live with you and be your friend."

Zuko blinked. "I think that is honestly the worst metaphor I have ever heard in my entire life."

"Well, you got what I was trying to say, didn't you?!" Toph snapped.

"You could've picked a nicer animal than a hippo-bear, though."

"You don't exactly scream 'spider-kitten', Sparky. "

He half grinned at her, before letting his head loll back against the hard earth. He could faintly hear the grunts of Katara training in the distance, which must have been miles away. He pressed his lips together, forcing the words out like bile. He drew in a sharp breath, his mouth growing drier and drier as the words welled up in his mouth, spilling out in a soft murmur.

"Hey Toph, is...is my Uncle here?"

Toph blinked, pausing. "Yeah, he is."

Zuko swallowed. "Can you...can you take me to him?"

Toph smiled. "Sure thing," she said gently, hooking his arm around her neck before hauling his heavy weight up off of the floor. She could practically hear with her ears the sound of his heart thudding in his chest, as opposed to her feet, and it made her smile grow. "You know...he hasn't said anything, but he's missed you."

His head snapped down to her. "R-Really? You can tell?"

She grinned. "Trust me, Sparky. I can tell."

* * *

_**Time Passed Since Avatar Aang's Death; 23 Days** _

_She could barely stand up, she could barely breathe. She could barely. _

_A wall fire, more like a blast, was heading her way, hell bent on turning her to ash. She didn't have any water, and was totally out; her pouch was just as dry as her mouth, which was pretty damn dry. Katara let out a low grunt as she dodged with every drop of energy she had left. It was a miracle she hadn't passed out yet; on the first day of training, at this point in the day, she was already unconscious in the healing hut-_

_"You think Ozai will show you mercy, Katara?!" Iroh bellowed. "You have no water! What are you going to do?!" _

_She wanted to cry so, so badly, but she simply didn't have the water in her to do so. She was sweating through her long, baby blue tunic, turning it into an indigo colour. It kept getting in the way, not keeping up with her leaping, bounding, darting body. She panted as she ran and ran, Iroh's blasts of fire hot at her heels, burning the back of her brown boots, making her trip over and hit the floor heavily. _

_Hair was sticking to her burning, saturated skin, and she couldn't get up. She honestly had no strength, her muscles heavy and refusing to cooperate. She needed water, and fast; she was a sitting turtle duck to Iroh like this. She managed to roll over, feeling pebbles scrape across her skin, the blood making her feel even hotter than she was. She wiped the sweat off of her drenched eyesbrows, flicking aside. _

_She froze, looked at the back of her hand. _

_She couldn't believe she had forgotten this skill, how stupid she was. _

_She half grinned as she swiped the fire away from her with a flick of her wrists. She could see the perplexity on Iroh's face, but she didn't have the time to dwell on it; tensing her fingers and bringing her arms around, the fluid was stripped from her body and was sent hurling in shards of ice at the Grand Lotus. He dodged and deflected easily, but that wasn't the point. _

_Winning wasn't the point of this at all, Katara knew, as she stamped her foot and swirled her arms, dragging the perspiration up and away from her skin in a gliding motion, flinging it at him with all the strength she could muster. Her vision blurred and her stance faltered, and she realized she had gone too far, stripped too much moisture from her body. She was now facing the consequence of that. _

_Iroh was there to catch her just before she hit the floor, settling her down so that Yagoda could start to heal her, as she was standing at the side-lines, waiting for Katara's casualties. She scowled as she knelt to the young girl's aid; she saw the small incisions from tiny, sharp rocks, the bruises, the burns, the inevitable scars, the dry skin and even drier mouth. She looked up at the old man with concern._

_"She broke a limit today," Iroh said gently, looking down at her with affection. "It took real imagination to use her sweat like that; she's a fast learner, huh? By Agni, a week ago, she could barely stay conscious for 30 minutes-" _

_"Don't you think you're being too hard on her?" Yagoda asked quietly, pale water flickering. _

_"This is nothing," Iroh sighed, brushing the hair away from Katara's face. "We're not even warming up. Though she is a master of her element, it's not enough. Not for Ozai, not for his level of expertise. She has a long way to go, Yagoda-" __  
_

_"She's a _child_-" _

_"No, she isn't," Iroh cut off gently. "She gave that all up years ago; I respect her enough to accept her decisions. She can handle this. "_

_"How do you know that?" the elderly woman questioned, still half scowling. _

_"She lived through the death of her mother, her friends, her own brother, Avatar Aang," Iroh said quietly, stroking Katara's face affectionately, like the daughter he never had, never got a chance to have. "She can live through this, too. She can live through anything. In that sense, she's stronger than all the Avatars combined." _

_"I sure hope so..." Yagoda whispered, pressing some water against the burn on Katara's stomach. _

* * *

Okay, so I decided to skip the reunion shizz and go straight to Zuko's awakening; I know that you all probably have a lot of questions as to what happened, after Katara/Ozai's duel...Don't worry! They will all be answered as the chapters progress. I thought it would be fun to keep everyone in Zuko's state of mind, since he knows nothing either.

So, the last segment; simply put, this training isn't all easy peasy and just-for-fun. I'm not gonna lie, but in the next few of these extracts of what happened almost three years ago in the story, describing how Katara trains, she really does go through hell.

I want to make it apparent that she is NOT like Azula, a natural-born prodigy; Katara WORKS for her power in this fic. Getting to the level to fight and hold her own against Ozai in the last chapter didn't happen overnight.

Oh, and sorry for all those who are dying to dive right into the Zutara-ness of it all; I want to build a foundation first. All romance aside with those two, I actually think they could be, like, best friends. I think that's what makes the idea of them so great together; the fact that they can muck about yet still relate on such intimate and personal levels. I don't think any other character romances offer that...

Anyways, leave a review, and tune in next time!

- Yin

P.S. I think Zuko is the big brother Toph never had...kudos to you if you've figured why it isn't Sokka in this story ;)


	12. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER

* * *

**Chapter 11 **

Zuko couldn't stand silence; he never could, and he probably never would.

Katara had pulled Toph aside so they could have some privacy (much to Toph's dismay), yet was not hesitating to watch from afar as the two firebenders faced each other, the tension building even from where the girls stood. Iroh was looking at him, emotion leaving his face as he stared at his nephew; Katara didn't know whether she wanted to read the look on his face or not; she couldn't stand seeing Iroh upset or disappointed. She wished she was as blind as Toph, so that she didn't have the choice, as she sipped water.

Zuko couldn't look him in the eye; he was never good at the whole 'confrontation' thing, which was pretty obvious, given his past mistakes. He had been longing for the dodgy metaphors and pointless haikus from his Uncle for years now, walking the Palace hallways and wanting nothing more than a loud laugh and a slap on the back or some delusional pick up line he could use on girls.

It was all welling up, spoiling his inner fire, making him almost shake right there on the stop from the anticipation.

Tears pricked his eyes, and Zuko couldn't hold it in any longer.

"I'm sorry, Uncle..." he said in a quiet voice, looking away. "I'm so, so sorry, and I don't think you'll ever understand sorry I am. I didn't...I made some bad choices, I know that; but the worst I ever made was turning my back on you, the one person in the world who...who actually gave a shit about me, regardless of the things I did, or didn't do. Regardless of how horribly I treated you, and everyone else, for that matter."

Iroh just stood there, and Zuko still couldn't look at his face as he sniffed, continuing.

"Living in that Palace, Uncle...for all these years...it makes me feel so stupid. I feel so stupid, because those people were never my family," Zuko said softly, barely whispering, tears welling in his golden eyes. "It didn't matter if I had the food, the money, the clothes, the shelter; I wasn't home. My home is with you, it _is _you! All these years I was craving love from the wrong man; my blood may say that Ozai is my father, but it's not true."

"In three years, you were more than a father to me than that pathetic excuse for a man was my entire _life_!" Zuko half-cried, swallowing the lump in his throat averting his gaze again. "Look, what I'm trying to say is...is...I-"

"Is it true?" Iroh whispered softly, golden eyes staring right at Zuko's. "Did you really save Haru, all the Tribe warriors? Did you really treat Katara with as much kindness as she proclaimed?"

Zuko blinked. "I...of course," he ushered, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "You told me to treat all women like how I would treat my mother, remember? You said that kindness is a two way thing; but to be honest, I never really understood that until n-"

And Zuko's body was pulled into a fierce hug, Iroh's arms wrapping around him in a way he had missed so, so much. He was glad that his Uncle's shoulder was covering his mouth, for it was upturned in a silent sob, forcing him to press his eyes closed and try to cry in quietest way possible. Iroh sniffed as he smiled into Zuko's scarred ear, tears glistening in his amber eyes.

"I've missed you, my nephew," he half laughed. "I've missed your awful tea and your loud rants. I've missed your noisy meditating at sunrise and your scowl when I give you some of my golden advice."

Zuko pressed his lips together, sniffing profusely.

"I knew you'd find your path one day," Iroh said softly, still smiling. "I knew you had it in you. All these years, I knew you'd do the right thing eventually. I never doubted you for a second, Zuko. Not once."

They were silent after that, and they just lingered in the embrace, in the other's company. Katara almost dropped her pouch of water as she stared, eyes fixated on the former Prince; she'd never seen him in such a way before. A part of her thought that that side of him didn't even exist; her mouth was slightly agape, icy blue eyes frazzled with surprise.

"Zuko..." she whispered breathlessly, inadvertently.

"I guess everyone cares about something, huh, Sweetness?"

Katara's eyes didn't leave his form, still hugging Iroh. "I...I guess so."

* * *

Katara had to heal him again a few hours later, which proved to be much harder, since Zuko was now awake; he still winced when she pressed hard against the mark on his chest, which was directly in the center, taking up a large portion of his porcelain skin. She forcefully kept her eyes focused on healing, and very far away from the swell of his biceps and shoulders; friends do not 'check out' other friends, especially if that friend used to be your arch enemy.

"Are you alright?" Zuko asked slowly. "You look like you want to hit me."

Katara pressed her lips together. "I'm fine."

She was clearly lying; she must have had something going on in her head, because he could read it off her face. Her brows were tensed, icy blue orbs frantically trying to hide whatever she was feeling. She licked her full, mauve lips, long, dark lashes flickering down as her brain thought and thought. She removed a hand from healing to tuck a strand of curly, long hair behind her ear.

He saw the piercings, remembering them from when she was still 'living' in his room; two on each lobe, and one at the top of her left cartilage. They sparkled, for the studs must have been gems of some sort that he wasn't aware of; he had only seen diamonds and gold in the Fire Nation. He thought again of the incident, suddenly remembering all the questions he had to ask.

"How long was I even out for, anyway?" he questioned.

"About three and a half months," Katara replied, eyes flickering to him. "Uncle said that you're now twenty years old; that your birthday passed whilst you were out?"

Zuko blinked. "Oh, right...I guess I am," he breathed. "Damn, I'm getting old. And when did you start calling him Uncle?"

Katara shrugged. "We've grown really close, since he's my main trainer and all; besides, I never really had an Uncle," she replied. She paused. "You missed my birthday, too, if it helps. I turned eighteen about two weeks ago. And Toph turned sixteen about a month earlier. We didn't really do anything special, though - we haven't exactly had the time to..."

"What happened?" Zuko asked, sitting up gingerly so she could bandage him. "I find it hard to believe that my father just left you alone after the ruckus you caused at the Palace."

Katara faltered, pretending to concentrate on wrapping the bandages around his body. He could feel the length of her soft curls tickle his naked shoulder as she leaned over him, wrapping the bandages across his back gently. He could smell her, that strange sweet, fresh scent that he remembered from months ago, that made his stomach turn; she could smell him, too. The smell of burnt wood and musk that her senses were slightly accustomed to now, making her breathing go a little shallower than usual.

Katara took a deep breath, inadvertently breathing him in as she sighed. She would have to get used to him being her ally now.

"Ozai knows where we're hiding," she said evenly, glancing up at him as she continued to lean over him, pull back again, lean over, pull back, taking the white gauze with her as she went. "He knows that Krahyus is here, too, and told me that he'd meet me here. So, naturally, I dash off at the speed of the Spirits, thinking all hell is going to break loose and that Krahyus was dead meat-"

"I'm sorry - Krahyus?" Zuko asked.

"Oh," Katara paused. "I forgot, you don't know. Krahyus is the new Avatar." She paused, and he saw her swallow. "Sh-She's 3 in a couple months."

"Oh, I get it now..." Zuko replied. "But the place seems fine; why didn't Ozai attack?"

She glanced at him, before looking down to tie a secure knot in gauze. "He never showed up."

His brow furrowed. "What? Wait, so...where is he?"

"That's sort of the problem," Katara said, leaning back to check the bandages were secure all the way around his body. "Saying that he knew where we were got us all fired up, and gave him the perfect opportunity to slip out, un-traced, since we were all rushing to Kioshi to defend it. Hell, he could be sitting on the moon this very minute and we wouldn't know."

"But...what about the Fire Nation soldiers in Kioshi?" Zuko asked. "Weren't they deployed here around the time when you were given to me by Ozai?"

She squinted at him. "How did you know that?"

"I'm the Prince of the Fire Nation - I'm kind of in on their colonization plots," Zuko sighed. He looked at her again, watching her fold her arms over her chest as she frowned. "Are they still here, right now? Aren't your people up there-?"

"I...took care of them," Katara said so quietly, he could barely hear. She wouldn't look at him. "When I got to Kioshi with you, I gave you to Yagoda, since I'd done most of your healing on the way. Then I went and sorted out the Fire Nation ships and guards in the town - I was convinced Ozai was on his way, and that he had enough back up of his own, and..."

"And...?" Zuko pressed a little.

She didn't say anything for a while. "You're done," she spoke eventually, heading to the opening of the healing hut. She didn't turn back to look at him as she threw him his shirt and tunic. "Get dressed and come watch the rest of us spar; once you're at full health, you'll have a lot of training to do."

"Wait, Katara-" Zuko called, but she ignored him and left anyway. He let out a frustrated sigh, fire erupting from his nostrils before he put on his shirt gingerly, wondering what if anyone wrote a book about how to understand women, and if his Uncle possessed such book.

* * *

"Look who decided to join us!" Zuko heard, his ears remembering the familiar voice as he approached the training area, which was a good fifteen minute walk from where the two Water Tribes were set up. "You sure took your time, Sparky!" he heard Toph's voice call out, too.

Zuko walked up to the male earthbender slowly. "You're...Haru, right?"

"Fast learner," he said with a grin, offering a hand. "I know we didn't get off to a great start but..."

"What's passed is past," Zuko assured, nodding his head to the other comrades who sat around the edge of the acres of training area, most of them watching intently, some even people of the Water Tribe themselves. "So...what's going on here?"

"We're all just watching Katara spar," Haru explained, moving to the side. As if on cue, bangs and slaps could be heard in the far distance, as well as the blazing of fire, off away at least 20 yards, where it was difficult to see. "It sounds really boring, but...well, you'll understand why it's so enthralling once you've watched for yourself."

Zuko nodded slowly, squinting to try and make out the figures. "Who's she sparring with?"

"The White Lotus, duh!" Toph called from her sitting position beside them. "It's unfair for anyone else to battle Sweetness!"

"Wow," Zuko let out, raising his brows. "That's impressive. Which one?"

Haru gave Zuko a quizzical look. "All of them, of course."

Zuko's eyes bulged in the sockets. "_What_?! You're telling me an eighteen year old girl, _alone_, is fighting five almighty masters all at the same time?!"

Haru blinked. "Well, yeah...who else is she gonna fight?"

"Don't you think that's ridiculously unfair?" Zuko questioned. "Look, I know that Katara is some amazingly powerful bender, but this is just insane. For even the _Avatar_ to hold their own against the White Lotus is unreasonable, but for a single waterbe-"

"Oh, Sparky, Sparky, Sparky," Toph sighed, leaning an elbow on his shoulder. "There's a lot you don't know about Katara. I know you may think you have her figured having been around her for so long, but there are a lot of things that we keep secret about her. Come on, she's no Avatar! She has to have _something _up her sleeve!"

"Well...she did sort of storm off when I asked her about what happened when she got to Kioshi, and when I asked her about the ships, and the guards in the village," Zuko spoke, eyes flickering to them. "What actually happened? She said she...took care of them?"

Haru look away, and Toph scratched her head, sighing. "It was a massacre, Sparky."

Zuko squinted. "What do you mean?"

"She...she killed them," Haru said quietly. "All of them. At once. She was really, _really_ angry; angry that maybe Ozai might kill Krahyus, or the tribes, the people of Kioshi, or her friends, or anyone else, for that matter-"

"How did she do it? How did she kill them all at once?" Zuko asked, not knowing if he wanted to know the answer. "There must have been over 400 soldiers-"

"You're about to find out," Toph said, pulling them both back. "Here they come."

"Wh-"

Zuko didn't have time to finish, because Katara and the White Lotus members came crashing into the their vision, startling Zuko, since he wasn't paying as much attention. Katara was surrounded by them, and they prodded at her within the circle, manipulating their elements to make her feel cornered and breathless, which was working quite well until she got frustrated.

She took in a deep breath, raising her arms slamming her fist down into the ground, sending a wave of water vapour to knock the White Lotus members off of their feet, sending them flying until they skidded to halt, their elements at their toes. Bumi came crashing down on her faster than the rest, since he had earth all around him; Katara swiped in the air, creating a mark of thick ice that could not be penetrated, covering her head from the collision.

A ringing sound could be heard, proving that Bumi's massive boulder attack did nothing; he blink, raising it to try again, but Katara changed the state instantly, and it was liquid again, wrapping around him like a menacing arm, picking him up and throwing him across the huge plain. Then, she jumped up high, and rightly so; Iroh and Jeong Jeong blasted fire at her from two directions, turning as they did so, making her constantly under threat.

Katara lifted the sweat from her body like a veil, careful not to take too much; sheets of liquid flew to the two benders, and they dodged, but their fire could not. Katara's sheets of water wrapped around it like a ball, the fire still crackling in side as she held the multiple spheres in one hand - she flicked out the wrist of her other hand, sending Pakku's vine of water back at him, coiling around his arms and freezing, making him useless.

Then, with her spheres of water-encased fire, she hurled it at the two firebenders, not sparing Piandao, either; one did its job and burst in Jeong Jeong's stomach, making him grunt as he flew backwards until he tumbled to stop. The other two spheres, however, chased Iroh - his fire was ineffective, since the water made it evapourate, making him growl as he ran and ducked, jumping away, trying to deal with the multiple huge spheres at once.

Piandao took his chance, stealthily making his way to Katara, who was totally pre-occupied with Iroh, and now Pakku, too, as he had figured out how to un-freeze his arms of water. Katara sensed it, taking an earthbender's stance as she slid her foot back, pressing water there, changing the earth under Piandao's feet into mud. He tried to wriggle out quickly, but brown vines appeared from the earth and grabbed him, dragging him down until only his shoulders and head stuck out.

Iroh remained being chased by the water encased fire spheres, and he was growing tried very quickly, and he knew she was doing it on purpose. He skidded to a halt, summoning all the fire he could until he clapped his hands together, and sent a wall of oranges, yellows and red hurtling towards the single waterbender, eradicating her spheres with sheer power. She dodged, jumping up so high, she could barely be seen.

There was a pause.

Bumi jeered. "Maybe Princess got her head stuck up ther-"

And she crashed down again, and they all went flying from the momentum that was released, cracking the now dry earth, as she stripped the water from it that made it so malleable. A shield of ice was drawn up by Katara, also, protecting the on lookers who watched the spar with intensity. It broke down once the momentum ceased, rushing to her aid once more, ready to be used by her.

Katara panted, resting her hands on her knees as she grinned; the White Lotus members groaned as they rolled around on the floor, and she used the time to bring some new water up to her minor injuries that she was healing during battle; she hated when her water became hot whilst healing her body. She was just about to let her eyes flutter close as she took the time to _feel _the water heal her, soothe her-

She heard the crackle of lightening, and awoke again.

Dodging wasn't helping this time; they came at her from all sorts of directions, using all sorts of moves that were both agile and fatal. She growled, covering herself in her own sphere, similar to her smaller ones from before. Though, it didn't provide enough protection, as Pakku would slice a hole through it so that Iroh could shoot lightening in towards her, cornering her in the worst way.

She flicked her wrists up, releasing the large sphere around her, her feet hitting the ground. They were all running to her, to finish her off; slice at her with a gash of water, burn her to a crisp with wall of fire, send her into a seizure with a bolt of lightening, stab her right through the stomach with the clean edge of a sword, crush her in her head with a massive boulder that she couldn't escape-

Katara took in a deep breath. She took a stance, raised her arms.

Elements extinguished, the five men froze _instantly_.

They shook a little from the control, and she didn't even allow them to blink without her command, or so much as even look in another direction unless they had her permission. With a sway of her arms, they all fell to their knees and bowed to her like meek, little animals, convulsing from her tight grip on their vessels their veins, their organs, their skin, their muscles, their _hearts_-

Katara panted, still holding them down; she smirked. "Do I win?"

No answer. "Oh, right!" Katara laughed, releasing them. They all spluttered as she giggled, gasping for breath again, clutching at their throats as oxygen filled their lungs again, reviving them. "I'll take that as a yes, then!"

The tribal people clapped in awe, even most of the benders; the ones that weren't shell-shocked, that was. She laughed as she approached the elderly men, ignoring the applause, crouching down with water already covering her hands as she smiled at them, chuckling with them as she healed their minor injuries. They patted her shoulder, kissing her cheek like the fathers they were to her.

"I've got to say, Princess, that was flawless!" Bumi said with a large grin. "Those spheres were creative and impressive! Sure got Iroh over there running around like a headless caterpillar-goose!"

"She sure did!" Iroh agreed, smiling at her as she pressed her water gloved hand to his bruise. "The bloodbending at the end was truly incredible, though; I think practice really does you favours in that department!"

"And good thinking about freezing Gramp Gramp's arms!" Piandao commented with a grin. "I'm guessing that'll put you in a real pickle if you're a bender."

Pakku scowled. "Just because I married Kana doesn't authorize _you _to call me Gramp Gramps," he said flatly, then turning to Katara with a smirk. "You really had me there, Princess. For a good 5 minutes, I was completely vulnerable!"

"Good thing you didn't freeze our blood like last time!" Jeong Jeong said with a smile. "I swear, that one took _ages _to recover from-"

"You mean 4 minutes?" Katara asked, grinning as she stood, having finished healing.

"Hey, it felt like hours!" Jeong Jeong scorned jokily, flinging an arm round her, rubbing his knuckles into her head. "I did a good job with this one, eh? You're the best man made weapon to come about since those damn war balloons! I bet you could take out a fleet of them in your sleep!"

"Right," Iroh grunted. "Because _you're _the one that trained her day and night for the last three years, right?"

"Hey, come on, don't start up again!" Katara half laughed. "I'm a product of all of you...but maybe a little more of Iroh."

Iroh grinned, patting her shoulder as he lifted his chin at Jeong Jeong. "See? Even Katara says so!"

"Let's just...get some water, guys," Piandao ushered, winking at Katara. "Well done today; go cool off, and we'll see you at dinner, Princess."

Katara nodded, jogging to the lake on the upper floor to go wash off the sweat, the mud, the small burns. Zuko's eyes followed her as she left, his mouth agape. He spun to face Haru and Toph who were grinning at his shock. He opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't find the words, pointing to where Katara had fought, then to where she had left, to just pressing his palm to his forehead.

Zuko then realized that there were many, _many _things he didn't know about Katara.

* * *

"Oh, and by the way," Iroh perked up, grinning at his waterbending pupil. "You're sharing a tent with my nephew."

"What?!"

"Are you _joking_?!"

"NO!"

"Over my dead boomerang!"

"Sparky and Sweetness?! Things are about to get _frisky_-"

"Not they are _not_, Toph!" Katara hissed, placing down her bowl of stew before glaring at Iroh in confusion and denial. The fire glistened in front of them as they ate, just like all the little fires did in the massive expanse of earth, where both Water Tribes dined together, chatting lightly. "Why does Zuko have to bunk with _me__?! _There _has _to be someone else-"

"You're the only one with the space in your tent," Chief Arnook said, swallowing his mouthful of bread. "Everyone else has been bunking together for years now. Feel privileged, Katara - some families have up to six people in one tent!"

"My daughter is not sleeping next to the former Prince of the Fire Nation!" Hakoda bellowed, glancing at Zuko. "No offence."

Zuko raised a hand. "None taken," he looked at his Uncle. "I don't exactly think it's the best idea, either."

"I think it's a _great_ idea!" Toph cried.

"I'm _so _not okay with this!" Sokka joined in loudly, glaring. "Why doesn't Zuko bunk with me?"

Suki coughed. "'Cause you _have _a roommate, remember?"

Sokka blinked. "Okay, so maybe it's _not_ such a bad idea! You know; water, fire, balance, all that shit-"

"Especially if Zuko tries anything, like escaping or betraying us, our best bet of tackling him would be to put him in the same vicinity as an expert bloodbender," Haru added with a small grin. "Didn't you two say you'd be friends? You wouldn't worry about sleeping next to me, Pipsqueek or Teo, would you, Katara?"

Katara opened her mouth, closing it again. "I...I _guess-_"

"Then it's settled," Iroh said with a smile. He winked at the two. "Try not to be _too _loud, kids-"

"That's _enough_!" Sokka and Hakoda barked in unison.

Zuko and Katara made it a point to not look at each other as they finished their meals.

* * *

It wasn't that Zuko was cold, per say.

He was down right _freezing_.

He shivered as he curled up against his navy sleeping mat, the semi-thick quilt not really doing much for his muscular body; as he breathed, puffs of steam could be seen in the air, which made him feel even colder. He was born in the Fire Nation, raised in the Fire Nation, and was a child of the sun, for Agni's sake; this coldness was _not _what he was used to. He didn't even remember it being this cold when he ventured up to the North Pole.

He pulled his knees closer to his chest, rolling over as he brought the duvet up and around his ears as his jaw chattered. He could see Katara sleeping soundly with her back to him, on the other side of the tent, near the flaps of the sealed opening. He squinted in confusion at her, since he couldn't understand what she did to make herself fall asleep at this glacial temperature.

He wondered why he didn't feel like this during the day, and noted the thought to ask Katara about it. His scar still pained him a little bit when he moved, but nothing like when he had woken up; Katara's healing really sped the process along. He could almost feel it; the warmth of the water, radiating off of her hands that hovered above his wound, making him feel all goopy inside-

Zuko shook his shivering some more; the thought of heat just made him colder. He tried to think about manipulating his inner fire to do what it wanted; like, maybe, turning into an inferno. Then he remembered what his dear old Uncle had taught him all those years ago; _fire breath_. It had saved his life in the North Pole; maybe it would save him a good night's sleep today, though, he hadn't practiced in a while.

Zuko brought his palms up to his mouth, breathing out the flames, charging them through his body. A surge of warmth passed through him, right to his toes, and he almost cried at the relief. He did it again and again, the orange flames becoming heavier, brighter, fueling him. He was getting a getting a little greedy, making the flames bigger just because he could.

That's when he smelt the smoke.

Zuko's eyes came alive as he jumped out of his bed, gaping at his his thin mattress and duvet, which were ablaze with flames.

"FUCKIN' AGNI!" he screamed, taking his shirt off to bat away at the flames.

Katara groaned groggily, turning. "Zuko...what're- _SHIT_!"

She was up immediately, bending her mirror of ice off the wall and onto the fire, sending steam flying through the room, mixing with the smoke that had partially covered the room. Much to Zuko's dismay, Katara opened the flaps of the tent, shivering as the cold draft made its way inside, making her hold her elbows. He realized she was clad in a huge, ugly shirt that had a rat-possom on it, (mostly likely being Sokka's) and some baggy sleeping pants, her long, curly hair standing up all over the place. He tried not to grin at how cute she looked, but couldn't quite stop himself.

She whirled around to face him. "What the _fuck_, Zuko?!"

"I was just trying to get warm! It's like, minus ten degrees down here!" Zuko hissed, in case he woke the rest of the tribes. "I was just using my fire breath to help me get a little warmer, and-"

"It never occurred to you that maybe you should take _off _your duvet before firebending?!" Katara hissed back, shivering as she clutched her elbows, padding back to her own bed, cocooning herself in her covers. "Seriously, Zuko, your stupidity never fails to surprise me-"

"Woah, wait a second!" Zuko ushered. "What do _I _sleep in? My sleeping gear is burnt to a crisp! I don't even have a shirt here!"

Katara did a double take, glancing at the blackened maroon shirt in Zuko's palm. Her eyes wondered to his broad chest, his scar sitting directly in the middle; he sure did look different (if that was the right word), standing up and being conscious. His muscles swelled as he too folded his arms, the roundness of his porcelain shoulders looking rather striking against the dark background.

She gestured to the other corner of the tent. "Go sleep over there-"

"In _what_?!" Zuko asked again, getting frustrated. "Katara, I'm _freezing _here. With no shirt. I won't make it the night without something to-"

"Stop being such a big baby," she snapped, settling her head down on her large pillow. "Just because I'm a child of the moon doesn't mean I'm authorized to take your shit at night. I need my sleep, I've got to get up early for training tomorrow-"

"Share with me!" Zuko hissed. "You're so tiny you don't even take up much of that mattress, anyway!"

She glared at him. "Are you out of your _mind_?! And just because we're not all giants like you doesn't mean we're '_tiny_'-"

He gave her a flat look. "The top of your head doesn't even reach my collar bone-"

"Bottom line is you are _not_ sharing with me!" Katara spat.

"What about all those times when I gave you _my _bed, hmm?" Zuko asked with a half-grin. "I thought you said you hated owing people, _Sweetness_."

She glared at him again, her stomach tingling at the way Toph's nickname sounded on his voice. "I never asked you to do that for me; and that was different! I was your whore! I had it bad enough as it was-"

"_You're _the one who agreed that we should be friends!" Zuko hissed. "I don't think you'd even hesitate if Toph asked to share your bed with you - or Haru, or Smellerbee, or Longshot, or The Duke, or Sokka-"

"DO YOU TWO BISSON BRAINS HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT TIME IT IS?!" They heard Toph bellow through the camp. "SWEETNESS, STOP BEING SO SOUR AND JUST LET SPARKY SLEEP WITH YOU IN YOUR DAMN BED ALREADY! EVEN THE PEOPLE UP ON KIOSHI CAN HEAR YOU TWO FIGHTING!"

They both winced at the harshness of Toph's voice, even for Toph; Zuko was grinning at her with his perfect set of teeth as Katara muttered profanities under her breath, moving right to the edge of her mattress, whilst moving her pillow to the middle, too. Zuko almost hummed in happiness at how warm it was under her duvet, settling down so that his back was facing her, and her back faced his.

"And don't get any ideas," Katara snapped. "I'll rip your arms off, _without_ bloodbending."

"Jeez, you're so violent," Zuko hissed. "Don't you think if I wanted to 'try anything' I would have done it when you belonged to me?"

"Just...shut up. And don't spoon me." Katara muttered roughly, tugging at the duvet. "And stop taking the covers!

"_You're_ the one who's taking them-"

"Doesn't _anyone _from the Fire Nation know how to share?!"

"Do _you_ know how to make friends?!"

"SERIOUSLY?!" Toph screamed again. "ONE MORE WORD, AND I'M FEEDING YOU TO APPA."

"Appa wouldn't eat us..." Katara muttered, making Zuko snicker.

"Goodnight, Katara." he whispered, and she could hear his breathing fall heavy, because apparently, he was just as exhausted as she was.

She smiled a little, remembering when he bid her goodnight every day back in the Fire Nation; Katara could feel Zuko's large back brush against hers from the lack of space they had to make do with. She knew that if she rolled over, she'd be able to smell him, and she couldn't risk falling asleep being whisked away in his addictive scent. She grinned, listening to the sound of his deep breaths, not wanting to admit it was a lot warmer with him in her bed.

And Zuko reached an impossible milestone he wasn't yet aware of; getting Katara to smile before she dozed off, for the first time in years.

"Goodnight, _Sparky_."

* * *

**_Katara_**

_You know what the really weird thing was? _

_At first, I didn't even want to _see_ Krahyus. _

_I know that's extra terrible, given the fact that she is the first daughter of my first ever best friend; but as horrible as it sounds, it's true. I didn't even want to say her name, go and see her, or even be that close to her whilst she was in the room, being cooed at by everyone. Shinka didn't blame me, saying that I could take all the time I needed; I was there for the birth of her two sons, Krahyus's older brothers. But this was different. _

_Back then, when I was still in the early stages of my training with the White Lotus, all my spare time would be cooped up with Appa and Momo. I hardly ever went up to the surface unless training called for it, and I hardly ever spoke to any of my friends. I would just sit there, literally for _hours_, burying my head in Appa's fur and just forcing myself into a dreamworld that consisted of Aang, that consisted in a world where I hadn't lost it all. _

_I didn't want to accept the fact that he had left me, alone, just like my mother did; I couldn't bear the thought of the world carrying on without him, acting as if he never existed, as if everything he gave to the world meant just as little as the grains of sand on, say, the Ember Island beach. I was so bitter, so angry, so frustrated; and being the sour little girl I was, I took it all out on a baby who knew nothing of what had happened in her past life. _

_Eventually, Iroh dragged me to go see her, saying something about not being able to move on unless I saw her face; it was yet another thing I have to thank him for. I held her, when she was four months old. She didn't cry. She didn't scream, didn't protest against my touch, though, she should have. She was so small, her eyes so blue, a dark, dark blue, like Aang's were a dark grey. _

_When I held Krahyus for the first time I cried, because I realized I couldn't bear the thought of failing again. __I couldn't bear the thought of seeing another Avatar die in my life time. __I couldn't bear the thought of another innocent life slip through my fingers without being able to do anything at all but cry, healing the physical wounds of those who fell around them, after them. _

_When I held Krahyus for the first time, I cried. _

_When I held Krahyus for the first time, I accepted the fact, that just like my mother, my best friend was never coming back. _

* * *

I don't know about you guys, but I think that Iroh and Zuko's relationship was probably the most beautiful one there was in the entire series. It was so emotional watching that episode where Zuko was screaming at Iroh when he was in prison. I think I was more sad about them than the actual failed battle at the Day of Black Sun.

Anyways, a portion Katara's ability was shown in this chapter, during her fight with the White Lotus. Like I've explained in previous Author's Notes, this fic is mostly about proving that _anyone _can be a hero, Avatar or not. I just chose Katara because I thought she had the most potential, and she is therefore the most underrated. This isn't restricted to just Katara, though, as you'll all find out in later chapters.

I want all characters in this story to reach their potential that they otherwise wouldn't have if an Avatar came along and stole the show.

Anyways, that's it for this chapter! Leave a review, and I'll take you guys next time! Remember to share with friends, pretty please!

- Yin


	13. Chapter 12

Remember to share this story, guys! And thanks for the reviews, I love love love reading them!

- Yin

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER

* * *

**Chapter 12 **

She woke up in the worst way she had in a long, long time.

Katara's legs are practically out of the sleeping mat, which is due to the fact that the temperature within it shot to a ridiculous degree because of a certain firebender who breathed heavily next to her. She had her back to him and he was uncomfortably close due to lack of space; she wanted to hit him even though she couldn't even see him, the frown on her lips still apparent even as she yawns, somehow.

His head is sleeping atop of her masses of curly, dark hair, and she hissed in pain as she tried to pull away from him because of this; she can feel his broad chest against her back, searing hot skin that's practically burning her through her thin sleeping shirt. Katara grew frustrated as she tried to pull her hair out from under Zuko, who apparently still hadn't awoken from all her shuffling and stirring.

"Zuko!" she hissed frustratingly with a frown. She elbowed him sharply in the ribs. "What did I tell you about spooning me?!"

He groaned, stirring, but didn't open his eyes. "I'm not even touching you-"

"I can _feel _you!" Katara snapped angrily, shuffling forcefully as she kicked the blue covers off of them, making Zuko grunt in annoyance behind her. Her scalp burned from her trapped hair, even more so as Zuko fiddled around, eyes shut, for the duvet. "Do me a favour and move your massive melon head _off my hair_!" _  
_

Zuko grunted angrily, lifted his upper half and head up so she could roll away from him. "Don't get me started on your fucking hair! I was up for hours because it kept ending up in my mouth last night-"

"Well you looked pretty comfortable having made a damn nest in it!" Katara hissed, sighing as the cool air hit her hot skin. She glared at him, yanking the pillow from under him before hitting him on the head with it. "And what was all that firebending about?! Agni, I thought I was going to melt-"

"I told you, I was cold! At some point in the night, I got the hang of my fire breath again," Zuko grunted sharply, cocooning himself in her duvet before rolling over, turning his back to her, taking the pillow with him. "It's not my fault you're the size of a baby hog-monkey and was unable to provide any measurable amount of warmth-"

"Oh, I'm sorry, my Prince!" Katara snapped loudly, standing up with her fists balled as she glared at him. "How about tomorrow night, you sleep outside without even a tent over your head!"

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Aren't you supposed to go to training or something?"

She glared at him, pressing her heel to his bottom before pushing him roughly. "Yeah, and so have you! You have to start being of use, now that your wound is practically at full health now. If you join us, you'll have to play your part in ending this war too, you know."

Zuko sighed deeply, rolling over to meet her gaze as he sat up, letting the covers fall off of him. His jaw had thin, dark stubble covering it, golden eyes so warm and genuine, in a way Katara didn't know how to interpret. His shaggy black hair fell over his eyes a little, and Zuko ran his hand through it as he sighed, kneeling forward before pinching the corners of the duvet, flapping it up and folding it.

"I know..." Zuko answered finally, setting the folded quilt onto the end of the sleeping mat. He stood, facing her; trying to hold back his grin when he took in her disheveled hair and baggy clothing, her stance stern as she folded her arms over her chest. "I feel like there's still a part of you that wants to hit me."

Katara rolled her eyes, half-smirking as she walked behind him to fetch some clothes, dragging her disobedient eyes away from his bare torso. She subconsciously pushed the blood away from her face to stop her blushing like a fool at him, sauntering out of the tent, clothes in hand, to go and change elsewhere, that smirk on her lips growing.

"Trust me, I _always _want to hit you." _  
_

* * *

When Zuko finally joined everyone in the training area, he felt like he had missed out on ten years worth of training. He could see Toph grunt as she slapped her feet against the ground, swinging her arms, nuts and bolts flying through the air as she tried to pinpoint her target - Haru being that target. He himself groaned as he rolled away on the ground, cocking out his elbows and sending a threatening crack through the ground, finding its way to Toph's feet.

She dodged and Zuko carried on, not sure where to start - he found Katara and his Uncle a few yards away, secluded, Bumi standing along with them. She wasn't bending, per say, but she was moving through stances that didn't look at all like waterbending ones. At times, her frames were sharp, strong, sturdy; at others, they changed in fluid motions, and then exploding into fierce firebending stances (of which Zuko recognized), guided by Iroh's calm voice.

"Those aren't waterbending stances..." Zuko said to Bumi once he reached them, carefully eyeing Katara's kicks and flips. "That last one, there - that's the wheel of fire, a firebending stance! That's one of my favourite attacks...why is she learning it?"

Bumi sighed, folding his arms as he watched her with him. "She may be an all-powerful bloodbender, son, but Katara's no Avatar - she has no Avatar state. If things go to shit, she has nothing to save her ass. We thought a while back that maybe learning the stances of other elements might help with that."

"Oh," Zuko nodded slowly, understanding. "You think that waterbending is applicable to the stances of the other elements?"

Bumi nodded. "That's how old Iroh over there learnt to bend lightening, right? He observed the technique of that of the waterbenders. Here, it's the same thing; providing her with a range of stances will do nothing but good for her. Think about it - her air is water vapour, her earth is solid ice, and fire is cancelled out by her water. With her bloodbending and chi-bending involved, she should, potentially, be unstoppable."

Zuko frowned. "Chi bending?"

Bumi looked at him, blinking. "You...didn't know? You know, that she's immune to chi-blockers?"

Zuko squinted in confusion. "What? But the Dai Li...when she was given to me, she was blocked every few days; they didn't want her to get her bending back, because without her bending, she's harmless. I was told that she was blocked the second she was found. Or, I guess...maybe not..."

Bumi paused. "Oh," he laughed, slapping Zuko on the shoulder painfully (to which he winced at). "It's not that big a deal, I guess! It's just a defence strategy; if Katara looses her bending, like you said, she's harmless; she's dead, straight away, no questions asked. That's why the Dai Li and their little protegee chi-blockers derived from that circus girl would've, potentially, been more of a problem than Ozai himself. Katara needed to be on top of that - she couldn't afford not to be, really."

"But what you say...this, 'chi bending'," Zuko started slowly, his eyes watching Bumi with curiosity. "How is that even possible? Only elements can be manipulated. I haven't even heard of an Avatar bending chi within a body, even their own-"

"Well, we _call _it chi bending, since we couldn't think of a better word, but I agree with you - I don't quite think that's what it really is," Bumi answered, scratching his silver covered chin. He paused, eyeing Katara as well. "You see, we don't really know much about it. Just some guy called Guru Pathik came along and whisked her away for a week. Sokka and Toph told us that he trained Aang - about the chakras and how to release them. This was back when he lost his Avatar State."

"So...you think this guy taught Katara how to control her own chi?" Zuko asked slowly.

Bumi shrugged, his expression still a little quizzical, however. "Well, when the circus girl-"

"Ty Lee," Zuko interrupted. "The girl's name is Ty Lee. She used to be part of my sister's...'squad'."

Bumi smirked. "I think you'll be of great use, son," he said. "Anyways, when - this girl, Ty Lee - were to block the chi of others, Katara was always the first one on hand to heal them. This proves that the blocked chi can be unblocked, though, with intense healing and at least a 3 days waiting period. But that's like a millennium during a battle - we needed quick results. We needed Katara to be able to unblock her own chi as quickly as possible."

"So, you mean chi manipulation," Zuko said, pausing. "So, that whole time when she was with me...she had her bending? That entire month?"

Bumi smiled. "Don't take it to heart - she chose not to kill you in the end, right?"

Zuko pressed his lips together. "I guess."

* * *

Iroh set the teacup in front of delicately, pouring in a fresh brew slowly, carefully, before pouring himself a cup. He set himself down across the small table in his tent, taking his first sip just as Katara did. They both sighed at the taste of the hot liquid, grinning at each other. Iroh's golden eyes glistened, and a part of Katara thought that maybe, somehow, Zuko had inherited them. She held her cup of tea, looking down at it in thought.

"What is it that you wanted to speak to me about, my dear?" Iroh asked lightly, his smile caring as he looked at her.

Her icy blue eyes flickered to him as she swallowed. "It's about...it's about Ozai. About...what I have to do."

He blinked, his expression softening. "Child, no one said this would be easy-"

"It's not that," Katara cut off gently. Her dark lashed fluttered as she looked away in deep thought. "Uncle, I don't regret the decision I made in doing this. I will follow this task through 'till the end, just like I said I would. But...I'm starting to think about what you said. You know, at the Final Battle."

He paused. "I said that people killing one another wouldn't bring peace," Iroh said slowly, holding his tea in his lap. "That the world would just see it as more pointless violence. But you told me yourself, my dear, that we can't afford to wait for Krahyus-"

"And I stand by that to this day," Katara said softly. She paused, looking down at her tea. "The reason why I abandoned the mission temporarily in the Fire Nation was because Zuko offered to take me to the man who killed my mother. I couldn't turn that opportunity down, and so I left with him. I left everything behind, knowing full well that everything was probably gonna go to shit without me there..."

"Don't blame yourself," Iroh said gently. "I may not agree with what did but she was your mother and you needed the closure, regardless of the outcome. It wouldn't have made a difference, anyway - Ozai was just waiting for you."

"I know that, Uncle, but..." Katara started quietly. She looked at her hands that gripped the teacup. "I could feel that man's heartbeat, and I pierced right through it. I was heartbroken and angry and upset and felt so, so helpless. I wanted to see him dead, see him lifeless, see him suffer for what he did to my mother. But even after all that, Uncle..."

Her eyes glistened with tears, and Iroh knew no one saw her like this but him - he didn't know if that was a blessing or a curse.

"Even after he was dead, I still had this...this sick feeling in my stomach, and right here," Katara said softly, tapping just below her collar bone. "He was dead, sure, but it didn't bring my mother back. It didn't bring Aang back. It didn't change this mess that we're in. So how will killing Ozai change anything? How will me striking him down bring the world together again?"

"What are you saying, Katara?" Iroh asked quietly.

She looked up at him. "Maybe there's something I'm missing," she whispered. "Maybe there's another way that I just can't see right now-"

"Iroh!"

Smellerbee burst into the room, panting frantically. Her eyes were alert and screaming and Katara and Iroh were jumping up just at the sight of her. The look on her face startled them, and they noted the booms from above, on the surface, the thuds of something catastrophic. Smellerbee's words confirmed this. Dark eyes alive and screaming, she spoke, and sent them haywire.

"The Fire Nation is attacking above," she panted frantically. "There are war balloons up everywhere - no ships, because they know Katara is here-"

Katara ran, dodging past Smellerbee, running to the exit of the underground hideout to the passageway made for her and the other benders; she sent a thick belt of water soaring upwards, snaking it around her wrist and hauling her up onto the land above, to the town of Kioshi, to the screaming villagers who already came running and screeching down the main passageway.

"Get everyone up there to fight, Smellerbee - use Katara's passageway to do that," Iroh commanded calmly, frown apparent as he put on suitable clothing to fight in. "Use the main, staired passageway to get every single one of those cilvillians down here, including both Tribes. Send a few to protect Krahyus and her family. Do a headcount once you think they're all here and then keep the Chiefs with them for support. Join us when you're done."

They nodded, and dispersed.

* * *

"You're not squatting low enough!"

"I haven't trained properly in years! Of course I'm not squatting low enough!"

"Irrelevant! Katara informed us that you're at full health, now! You have no excuses!"

"I'm _trying, _okay?! I may be healthy, but that doesn't mean I'm fit-"

"Clearly."

Zuko growled loudly with frustration, wiping the sweat from his brow. Jeong Jeong certainly didn't take the calm, sensitive approach to training like his Uncle did. Zuko found himself taking off his shirt within the first half an hour, wondering if Katara ever overheated this much when she started training; what made things worse was that a few of the girls from the Water Tribes were standing around and giggling as they watched him train in their little groups.

He didn't feel comfortable with so many eyes on him, and it even made him consider putting on his shirt again; but a few fire kicks ordered by Jeong Jeong made him change his mind. It felt good to firebend again _properly_, and not just light a few embers here and there like he'd been doing in the Palace for almost three years. By the time he finished the fire kicks, he was panting, hands on knees, ebony hair being pulled by the gravity underneath him.

"Well, at least you're better at actual firebending than you are stretching," Jeong Jeong remarked. "However, raw talent isn't enough. You have a long way to go, Zuko. However, I think that with the right training, you may even be a very useful asset to Katara."

"That's...great..." Zuko said breathlessly between pants. He heard the bunches of girls giggle and look at him, a grimace appearing on his face. "D'you think that maybe you could get rid of those girls over there? They're kind of unsettling me-"

Jeong Jeong snorted. "Don't shun away female affection, son! Besides, it'll help your ego, which may even help your firebending-"

"I don't want an ego," Zuko corrected. "I've had one of those and they didn't work out too well. I'm not saying I'm asexual or anything! I'm just not comfortable with being watched whilst I train, that's all. I need to concentrate, and that's difficult enough without all that giggling-"

"You're a strange man indeed," Jeong Jeong remarked. "Though, you're not alone - Katara also dislikes being watched by boys who aren't observing for training reasons alone. Not that they have a chance, of course - either Sokka or Hakoda is chasing them away every five minutes-"

"Guys come and watch Katara train?" Zuko questioned, straightening as he drank some water.

Jeong Jeong smirked. "Of course! The amount of betrothal necklaces that have been given to her over the past few years has been ridiculous! Katara's a really beautiful girl, you know."

"I know." Zuko said quietly, barely audible, as he drank more water.

A loud thud resonated through the walls of the underground base that they currently resided in, shaking the walls and forcing pebbles and lumps of dirt to fall from the ceiling. The girls in the groups screamed and clung onto each other as Zuko and Jeong Jeong looked up with concern. Smellerbee came bombarding to them as if on cue, saying something to the herds of girls that sent them running back to their tents.

"What's happening, 'Bee?" Chit Sang came running up to join Zuko and Jeong Jeong, along with The Boulder, The Hippo and Pipsqueak.

"There's an attack on the surface," she called out to everyone. "Everyone who can fight, join Katara up on Kioshi now! The rest, help the villagers down here into the underground base and do a headcount of them, including both Tribes! A few stay with Krahyus and her family! Toph, Haru! Before you join us, quickly bend off another couple acres to accommodate the people of Kioshi! Hurry, we don't have much time!"

"Katara's up there already?!" Zuko asked frantically, pulling on his shirt.

Smellerbee nodded. "You all have to hurry and help her - there are no ships this time, guys! Just war balloons that are dropping some pretty dangerous bombs down on the town! Tell Yagoda to get the healing hut prepped - I think a few villagers were hit!"

"Is Ozai with them?" Chit Sang questioned worriedly, frowning. "Or even Azula?"

"Doesn't matter," Jeong Jeong cut in. "We're going up there and fighting regardless. Let's get a move on!"

They all nodded and dispersed, and Jeong Jeong and Zuko set fire to their heels, helping them glide quickly to Katara's passageway. They ignited the bottoms of their feet soared upwards, and Zuko felt the wind on his face for the first time in what he knew and felt was a long time. The light flooded into his eyes as he neared the opening at the top, and he squinted, his body adjusting to the warmth of the setting sun.

The sight that bestowed upon him, though, made him wish he'd never come up.

* * *

_**Time Passed Since Avatar Aang's Death: 143 Days**_

_"It's not enough." _

_They all looked at her, half understanding, half not. Katara looked down her hands in her lap as she thought hard, her brow tense with the memories flying through her mind. Her long, dark hair brushed against her jaw as her head tilted down with comprehension of it all, of what she had to do, of what she couldn't deny and shun away for any longer, no matter how hard she tried or how much she wanted to. _

_She made this choice. She had to follow through, and she knew that. _

_Even if she had to become a weapon - even if she had to become something she hated. _

_"Waterbending isn't enough and we all know it," Katara said calmly, lifting her eyes to meet the adults that sat around the table again. "I agree that in the past few months I've developed my waterbending skills a lot, maybe even enough to hold my own against Ozai for a while in battle, but not defeat him." _

_"You give yourself too little credit, child," Pakku uttered softly at her, blue eyes softening. "Your waterbending is exemplary, Katara. Avatar or not, you're the most powerful waterbender in history right now. Ozai was always a difficult feat-" _

_"I know," she replied softly. "But I've seen him - how he moves, how he bends, how plays about with your mind. I've seen what he can do, and I don't think that waterbending alone is going to make even a measurable dent against any of that. I need another tactic. Another strategy, another power-" _

_"Katara..." Sokka breathed, catching on. "You don't have to do this..." _

_Katara smiled gently at him. "A little late now, Sokka." _

_"What is it, then?" Piandao questioned with curiosity, even with worry. "What is it that you have in mind that could grant you that power?" _

_She looked up at them. "A while ago, I met a Southern Water Tribe waterbender called Hama," Katara said slowly, seriously, frozen blue eyes drawing them all with its tension. "She taught me an art she developed called bloodbending. Manipulating the liquid within a peron's body; I'm already a bloodbender - she forced that on me a while back. But...I think if that skill were developed, it'd be the deciding factor in my fight with Ozai." _

_They were all silent, watching in horror and awe. _

_"But I don't know enough about the technique in order to develop it in a way that will be an asset to me," Katara explained. "For example, Hama told me it can only be put into practice during a full moon. I think this time can be extended, though, with the practice. But the only problem is, I need her in order to succeed in this theory. She'll be a danger to the group, and I'm aware of that, but I will take full responsibility for her if she is to harm any one of us." _

_They were still silent, watching her. _

_"Katara..." Bumi said slowly. "This technique you speak of; this bloodbending. It will change you. If you do become a perminant bloodbender, you won't be the same afterwards. I've heard of this technique, thought it to be rumours at the time - are you sure you're ready for something like that, all the time, any time?"_

_She looked at him. "I've already changed. I've already lost it all. A part of me has already gone, Uncle, and that had nothing to do with bloodbending. This is not a sacrifice but a necessity. If I'm going to go through with this plan, I refuse to do it half heartedly." _

_They were all totally silent as they watched her. Katara knew that the way they saw her now was different, and once word had gotten out to the Tribes, to the villagers of Kioshi, they would all see her differently, too. She had once called Hama a monster, thinking her to be nothing but badness; but they weren't that different. The circumstances called upon them to adapt, and so they had to. Even if it meant being called a monster. _

_"Very well," Iroh said eventually. "If you think this is what's best and you'd take responsibility for this woman, Katara, you have my support. We'll set out tomorrow at dawn to retrieve this woman called Hama to train with Katara." _

_"And if she doesn't agree to this?" Toph asked with a scowl. _

_"Throw her back in her prison cell to rot away." Sokka shrugged with a frown. _

_"I hope you're ready for this, Katara," Pakku uttered as they all stood to leave from their meeting. "I hope you know what you're doing to yourself. I hope you that...that..." _

_"That I'm becoming a weapon, I know," Katara said quietly. "I know." _

* * *

Okay, so there's been a pretty big time skip in the last segment; around 4 months or so. The old woman briefly mentioned in the previous (yes, it is there) is Hama, which has now been revealed. Also, we find out how Katara was able to bend despite chi blockers - although, that's sort of a half finished story. Remember that one later, it's actually quite important. As well as Katara's talk with Iroh - that's very key in the plot.

Also, I really like the idea of all the kids calling Iroh 'Unlce' as well as Zuko - I just think it's so cute and it'd totally end up happening if they were living together for years on end like they are in this fic. So, next chapter, we get our fighting on! Ooooh!

Oh, and sorry for the late update! Can't promise anything for the next one, either! (Boo!)

- Yin


	14. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER

* * *

**Chapter 13 **

She hurls herself up, high into the sky, too high.

She uses a large tree as a board beneath her feet, to keep her afloat, before putting herself between two war balloons and slicing them open like a gash, so that they deflate and come crashing down into the ground. Katara can see her friends, her family, rushing out and bending their way through the ruined town of Kioshi, and she hopes that they remember to cut open what is left of the metal balloons and kill the Fire Nation soldiers within it.

She'd do it herself, feel them out with her bloodbending, but the main priority right now was to get down the balloons, since they had far too much of an advantage high up above the town, seeing everyone and everything. Katara grunts as she glides upwards and lands atop one; it keeps her close to the other balloons so that she can whirl her arms and slice away at the massive orange tents, before they hiss and drift below.

Katara grunts as she pulls back, raising an arm of deadly water before slamming it against one of the ships with a massive crash, sending it flying into another ship, both taking each other down as she hovers, panting, keeping herself up with the water vapour she has concentrated on her feet. She sees the people flee into the underground hideout and her friends burst out to aid her, and she smiles, even though she doesn't want.

For if Ozai is in one of the balloons, she couldn't let him target her family like he did Zuko.

* * *

Zuko was awed at how much destruction can come from just a few minutes.

He can barely think straight, what with all the people crowding past him and into the cavern below; what he does know, however, is that he hadn't really seen war properly until that very moment. Smoke rose from ruined homes, people wept as they held their wounded loved ones in their hands. Everything was burning, quite literally, and it made Zuko disgusted and angry and upset all at the same time.

"Move, son!" Jeong Jeong growled into Zuko's ear. His eyes were tense, silver hair blowing in the gentle breeze that fanned the flames of the once quaint town of Kioshi. He had a frown on his face, yet his voice softened, because he understood. "You're one of the few firebenders here, now - one of the very few who can actually get themselves in the air! Use the power that Agni gave you and go help your damn girl!"

Zuko spluttered, nodding before igniting his hands and feet as he soared into the air, Jeong Jeong following closely behind. Zuko summoned vines of fire to his palms, flicking them about as he set fire to the tented balloons with determination. It was difficult, keeping himself up at least a mile in the air whilst bending his way through the war balloons - but he knew he'd get used to it as he and Jeong Jeong clapped their hands together and sent a few ships reeling.

The setting sun watched with terror, as did Zuko's eyes as the balloons came skidding down to the ground.

Zuko knew he'd get used to this, to the war he'd hidden from - but that wasn't exactly a comforting thought.

* * *

"Why the hell is this even happening?!" Sokka barked, furious as he slammed his hands down on the table in the tent of what elders were left. They looked at him with perplexed and frustrations of their own. "Ozai fucks off for three months and now a fleet of air-ships are destroying Kioshi?! There has to be a reason-"

"Reason or not, they're here, Sokka," Hakoda said, brows furrowing. "I know you fear for Katara-"

"Fear is an understatement!" Sokka cried, shaking his head in fury. "Ozai could have his filthy hands around my sister's throat as we speak! He keeps playing us, giving us nowhere to run as he sits in his little hideout, sending balloons to do the dirty work! I swear to Agni, if Katara dies here, I'll kill the prick myself-"

"There's no use in fretting about it now!" Arnook intervened with a grimace. "We've got to work out how to fit in an extra 1,000 people into the cavern, along with our own. Not only that, but we needs troops up on the surface-"

"Every able bodied person is up there, including every single waterbender," Hakoda informed tensely. "I don't think it's safe for nonbenders to go out there right now - except for special cases like The Hippo and The Boulder, maybe even Chit Sang. Right now, we just have to get the people healed and organized-"

"Healed?! You just said every waterbender is on the surface - Yagoda the only one down here and she can't heal them all!" Arnook said with a scowl. "The only one who can heal a mass of people at once is Katara, and if we bring her back down here we're all dead anyway!"

"So we're just going to let innocent people die?!" Hakoda snapped.

Arnook huffed. "If we'd have let the girls continue on and just learn healing instead of fighting, like Katara made them, we'd have a medic team right now tending to the wounded! Just a simple cut could riddle the body with infection down here!"

"What's the point of a medic team if we can't even stay alive! Those extra waterbenders could be the difference between life and death!" Hakoda snapped back. "If it wasn't for Katara making that call all those years ago we might be dead by now!"

"Look, there's nothing we can do about that now - Yagoda will just have to heal who she can," Sokka sighed with frustration. "We'll split up the wounded into fatal, that will be treated first, and the rest that can stand to wait a couple hours. Plus, we're gonna need some people to make sure that when those ships hit the ground, they're emptied out - we can't risk Fire Nation soldiers sneaking down here and harming the innocent-"

Chief Arnook just grunted, moving out of the tent after rolling his eyes, muttering a few curses under his breath. The ceiling trembled above them, and Hakoda and Sokka exchanged worried looks as a few pebbles fell from the high earth walls, threatening to tumble down.

They waited, watched, hoped, as they marched out to the huge crowed.

* * *

From that one encounter months ago, she had the feel of his blood imprinted into her mind.

Katara knew she'd have to memorize the beat of his pulse, the tingle of his fire, the twinkling of the lightening running through his very veins, because she knew she'd see him again - and that's what made her so damn frustrated. Weaving through the ships, grinding ice into the massive bodies of metal, sorting through the blood filled bodies, she couldn't feel Ozai's body anywhere.

She swore under her breath viciously as she summoned thin tails of water from the ocean, curling around the cuts she'd made in the war balloons and peeling the metal open, sending the machines plummeting to the ground. She panted, blood boiling, because she was so sick of the Phoenix Lord's games - for months she had been waiting, and her patience was wearing thin.

"Get out here," she growls to herself, peering at the setting sun behind the ocean, hoping that he hears her, somehow. The vibrancy of the yellows and orangs almost blinds her, but she hardly cares. The smoke from the fallen machines ruined the beautiful setting, but her skin is prickled with eagerness. "Get out here so we can kill each other."

She hears a zooming sound, the vapour at the soles of her feet shaking slightly at the whipping sound of fabric fly straight past her. Katara wobbles a little, frowning, watching Zuko speed off, fire at heels, heading straight for the final flew balloons. She swallows her half wasted adrenaline to kill and follows him, twisting around the balloons of metal, and it doesn't take long for them to come crashing to the ground with the rest.

Zuko falls into a sloppy crouch on the ground after extinguishing his fire, his throat burning for water. He couldn't remember the last time he had fought like this, so recklessly and desperately, but there was something oddly satisfying about it this time. Wiping some hair that was stuck to his sweaty brow, he just about manages to catch the pouch of water Haru throws at him in approval, downing it quickly just before the earthbender can call him over.

"Get over here, Zuko," he says, eyes still distracted by something behind a fallen ship on the ground. Zuko could taste the smoke on his tongue as he dragged his tired body, flaring his inner fire to spark some life into him as he joined Haru's side.

They turned the corner of the fallen ship and Katara had already pinned the pilot to the wall, wrists and ankles frozen to the dark metal with a flick of her fingers, a snarl on her face. The rest - Toph, Sokka, Hakoda - every person he'd learnt of that surrounded in a tight circle, listening to the whines and pants of the soldier, who, judging by the thickness of blood on his clothes, was close to dead.

"Where is he?" Katara asked quietly, a slight edge to her voice. The soldier whimpered again, and Zuko eyed her cautiously, watching the tips of her fingers curl ever so slightly, constricting his throat. Her eyes narrowed. "Tell me where he is."

"Fuck'm I supposed to know?" the soldier managed to wheeze out, a red tinge to his teeth as he half grinned. "We just follow the orders, bloodbender - he's not even the real issue here. You'd know that if you'd stop playing hide and seek-"

The air left his throat, causing him to buckle, veins on his neck bulging.

"Do not trifle with me," she warned darkly. Katara didn't have to look behind her to know what kind of looks she was recieving from her friends. But Aang's laugh rang in her ears, his glittering eyes, his bewitching charm, and she can't help but squeeze tighter on his body. "Enlighten me then, soldier. What's the _real_ issue that we're blind to?"

He spluttered, and she felt the blood rise in his throat, careful to keep it down long enough for him to choke out the words. The smoke swirled around the now destroyed village, and Katara could feel his final breath in her hands, Aang's voice echoing through her mind like a promise, a reminder.

"It's not your problem, but ours," the soldier breathed, blood trickling down his stubbled jaw. He looked down at Katara in the eye, and she waited, staring into his dark gold orbs. "The Earth Kingdom colonies have fallen."

She frowned, and he continued.

The soldier grinned. "And guess who they're gonna follow now, bloodbender."

It's a good thing he died then and there, for Katara's water vanished at surprise from his words, evapourating quickly, resulting in a hollow thud of his body hitting the grass below them. She blinked down at the corpse, pushing some hair away that was stuck to her perspiring face, icy blue eyes twinkling. She turned to her friends who matched the shock riddled on her face.

"What does he mean?" Zuko frowned, straightening as he averted his eyes from the corpse.

"It means we...we have an army of rebels, Sparky." Toph answered for him quietly as Katara blinked in confusion, hair swaying in the light breeze silently. "It means they...that they look to Sugar Queen now. It means that Ozai knows that and tried to kill us all here-"

"It means we've got a shot," Bumi said firmly, laying a hand on Katara's shoulder. He looked over to Toph and Haru. "Make the cavern bigger, Agni knows how many soldiers are on their way here. Get the waterbenders to purify some water after healing the wounded, enough so every man can drink comfortably-"

The orders rang out from the members of the White Lotus, everyone dispersing at their voices. Katara sniffed lightly, pushing her rattled brain to the side as she reminded herself of the bigger picture, of what exactly it was she had to do. She was no leader, no commander, no mother to people who decided to flee, even if it was to serve her.

She was one thing, and one thing alone - a bloodbender.

With Ozai in her mind and Aang in her ears, she passed her friends to heal the wounded in silence.

* * *

_**Katara;** _

_I feel like there are three parts of me: pre-Aang Katara, war-Katara, and post-Aang Katara. _

_Pre-Aang Katara was just a little girl, just some kid that had gotten her mother killed unintentionally and proceeded to beat herself up about it for years and years. Despite the anguish, it was the easiest part of my life, because I had everything planned out for me; ignore your bending, unless it can help you with chores. Marry some boy one day, far younger than what I'd prefer, like the other girls in my tribe. Bear his children, be their mother, be his wife - die in this tribe with no one knowing in this world that a southern bender lives. _

_It's sounds horrible, thinking back on it now, but with people preaching to you about how your life should be since birth, you get used to it. I wasn't angry because I didn't know I was allowed to be angry. Getting married and having more than three kids before the age of 20 was normal - sure, being the Chief's daughter bought me some time, but it didn't matter. I believed that was all I was destined for, back when destiny was a thing of Agni, as my Gran Gran told me. _

_War-Katara, I think, was the lucky Katara. She got friends, training, a sky-bison that had access to the entire world. War-Katara faced hardships; at the time she thought that failing on the Day of Black Sun was the worst thing that could possibly happen. But that was nothing. War-Katara, though put through strange and frustrating things, was hopeful. She believed that somehow, in some way, good would defeat evil._

_She believed that Aang could save the world. _

_And then she became post-Aang Katara - and I have the scar to prove it. And you know what? I'm not even Katara anymore. I'm not the makeshift mother who looked after the kids whilst travelling, focused on healing everything with a pulse, watching from the sidelines (which consisted of a half-conscious state from the burn) as my brother Aang was shot in the head with lightening, killed instantly. Now, I'm angry. I'm furious. I'm horrified. _

_And destiny? Psh. If such a thing existed, I'd be having my second child by now - instead, I've decided to make myself into a weapon, throw the whole world out of balance in order to kill the tyrant who killed my brother. In order to kill the tyrant before he can kill the new Avatar. _

_Post-Aang Katara doesn't care if she dies. She doesn't care if she's burnt alive, falling into an abyss or even struck down by Agni itself. _

_She just wants the Phoenix Lord Ozai dead with her. _

_Burning, falling and struck down at the heart. _

* * *

DON'T KILL ME.

I have exams coming up and though I hate to admit it, they do take priority, which is my excuse for a horribly late update. However, after they finish, I have about two months of doing fuck all, where I'll be tying up about three of my fics (including this one) to start three new ones after (all being Zutara, of course).

So, anyways, something actually happens in this chapter! Woot woot you Earth Kingdom rebels - thankfully, corrupting the palace came in handy after all. Plus, in the segment below, Katara actually acknowledges how different she is now compared to before. I don't know whether I like her as this powerful, yet hardened way or not. Power comes at a price, I think.

I have a Zutara drabble series that I update much more frequently, if that interests you (since I can get away with short, plotl-less chappies). Plus, I have a mini-fic lined up for once I tie up my other stories (hint: if you've read the sixth chapter of my drabble series...well, that's the prologue!)

Thanks for the support so far, guys. I'm so grateful and humble. :)


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